The Legend of Zelda: Darkness Orb
by AllaBlakeovna
Summary: A girl raised in Kakariko Village is told that she is actually Princess Zelda; a bounty hunter with a mysterious past must choose where his loyalties lie; a young man from a strange world is told that he is Hyrule's Champion. Can these three work together to save Hyrule from the mysterious Darkness Orb? (Major characters are OCs, but many characters from the games appear)
1. The Prologue

The sky, once brightly decorated with thousands of stars, had become consumed by the darkness of heavy clouds. Pouring mercilessly from the heavens, as though a deity wept, torrential rains had overcome all of Hyrule. Any poor citizens stuck outside at the time of the rain hurried to the nearest place of shelter. The rain was not alone however; lightning periodically lit up the sky, and thunder crashed with a boom. Within the old, stone walls of Hyrule Castle Town, a miracle had occurred. The Queen of Hyrule gave birth to her first child: a healthy baby girl.

"Oh, please, give her here…" The Queen requested, holding her arms out towards her daughter who was understandably upset by the loud thunder outside. She began to fuss and squirm.

"What shall you name the child, Your Highness?" The maid asked as she hurried over to the Queen to pass the child to her.

"The King and I discussed it already. Her name shall be Zelda, like her ancestors. We want her to be as strong as the princesses of legend." The Queen replied as she carefully took the infant into her arms. She smiled, as she looked her beautiful baby girl over.

"An excellent choice, Your Highness. I am quite fond of the name myself. If you'll excuse me, I'll go find the nurse. You and the Princess should be properly attended to. I can tell the nurse to give you some moments alone, if you wish. What a day to be born; while everyone else is celebrating Ascension Day, we are focusing on your new daughter." The maid bowed in respect before exiting the room and closing the door behind her as quietly as she could manage.

Baby Zelda was still fussing slightly, but her mood improved as the Queen started to slowly rock her in her arms.

"Zelda, you are such a special girl: you are a Princess. One day, you shall rule this great Kingdom…" The Queen whispered softly as she lightly ran a finger across the baby's delicate skin.

Several hours passed without a word from anyone, which worried the Queen. The nurse had not appeared, and her husband had not knocked on the door either. Just as she was summoning up the strength to get up and search for someone herself, a knock came through the door and the King quickly appeared in the doorway. At first she smiled at the sight of her husband, but her smile quickly faded. His face was deathly pale. She was worried, but surely his face was not in response to anything wrong with his daughter since the nurse had not spent enough time with the young girl to perform standard tests. Just as she was going to ask what was wrong, her husband spoke.

"…Dear, we need to talk. It is a matter that concerns the safety of this Kingdom." He finally said.

"Is it so important that we cannot even celebrate the birth of your heir? She is perfectly healthy as far as I can tell."

"Therein lies the problem; come with me. The child can come, too. I have already made a decision, but you deserve to voice your opinion on the matter." The King hurried to the bed to help his wife stand. When he observed she seemed to be more or less as strong as ever, he opened the door for her and walked with her to his private chambers. The thing that terrified him the most was that they possibly only had a few hours to devise some kind of plan. The sky was even darker than before; only the King thought the weather was a sign of greater things to come.

 _Princess… one day, you will understand._ The King thought solemnly. He knew the news he was about to pass on to his wife would not be received well, but his hands were tied. At least the plan he was trying to develop gave them time: time to discover what they were up against, time to prepare for the greater threat to come, and time for the Princess. They needed all the time that the Gods were willing to spare; after all, the man who visited the King just hours before threatened the lives of every Hylian living in Castle Town. The King could sense that the man had the power required to follow through with his threat, which is why he felt so unsettled. Who was their mysterious, and dangerous, visitor?

As the King and Queen solemnly walked through the halls together-the King too lost in his thoughts to say anything-the maid who was attending to the Queen earlier hurriedly approached.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. His Majesty requested that I not reenter the room until he had a moment to speak to you privately. Do you need help? Shall I carry your daughter for you? You must be tired. If you wish, I can get another potion for you. It might help you get your strength back faster."

"I appreciate your help, and all is forgiven. If you could please, make sure Zelda is comfortable and taken care of. I must continue an important conversation with His Majesty."

"Understood, Your Highness." The maid bowed her head in respect as they stopped in the hallway briefly to facilitate the safe transfer of the young Princess Zelda from her mother to the arms of the palace servant. With the Princess secure in her arms, the maid excused herself.

Though the King had not said anything, he did stop walking while the two women were talking about his daughter. With the maid's departure, the King took his wife's hand when he verified that they were alone in the hall.

"My dearest Zarina... I still do not feel comfortable discussing this sensitive matter out loud... the risk of someone overhearing us is great, and I must do what I can to protect our daughter. I am about to use my magic: are you ready?"

"Yes, Daphnes. I am ready." Queen Zarina gripped her husband's hands tightly, her stomach tightening up in worry. What in Din's name was going on? A mystical light bathed the two Hylian rulers, suddenly carrying their bodies away from the hallway.

When Zarina's senses returned to her, she was standing in the middle of the King's study along with her husband. His face was a complicated mixture of remorse, apprehension, and resolve.

"Daphnes, what is going on? Did something happen while I was in labor?"

"... I really do not know how to say this gently; something did indeed happen. While you were giving birth to Princess Zelda, a strange man burst into the main hall. He demanded to see me. I had no idea why someone was demanding an audience with me on today of all days, but I had nothing particularly pressing to attend to because we were still waiting to hear word about your condition so I agreed to hear him out. The man presented me with an ultimatum: either I would hand over Princess Zelda to him, or he would slaughter every man, woman, and child in Hyrule Castle Town." Daphnes did not meet his wife's eyes when he recounted the final part.

"... That... that is absolutely preposterous. Surely you did not fall for the insane ramblings of a disturbed man." Zarina looked at Daphnes questioningly.

"No... you are wrong, Zarina. That man... he is not disturbed. I could sense it within him as he spoke to me: he possesses strong magic that is not of this world. I have no idea who he is, or where he came from, but I fully believe his threat is not a bluff."

"I-Be that as it may, how did you respond?" Zarina was feeling her palms get sweaty, and her heart was racing. What exactly was the King trying to say?

"I told him that I must retrieve the child."

"...! I-In the name of the Goddesses, do you really intend to surrender your first born child?! The child who is to rule this land?! The child whose soul is guided by the Goddesses?!" Zarina's voice quickly rose as she began to panic.

"Zarina, please, calm yourself. I never told him that I was going to give him anything. I made him think that I might heed his demands, but do you really believe that I would surrender the Goddess Princess to him? No. I already came up with a plan."

"W-well, then, what are you going to do about him?" Zarina demanded.

"I am going to tell him that our child died. If he believes our daughter dead, then he has no reason to pursue the matter further."

"How in Din's name are you going to make him believe you?"

"Your attendant from earlier was kind enough to inform me that one of our maids here at the Castle gave birth to a girl just yesterday. But tragically, that baby girl is no longer with us. I was going to request that the maid surrender her deceased daughter to me so that I might present this child to our visitor instead of our own daughter."

"... Okay, so he will think that our daughter was stillborn. Alright. Your plan is sound, my dear."

"... I am sorry, Zarina, but... that is only the beginning."

"Only the beginning? Beginning of what? Daphnes, what are you talking about?"

"... Princess Zelda cannot stay here." Daphnes clenched his jaw when he finished speaking, clearly distraught over something.

"... What in the name of the Golden Goddesses are you saying, our own daughter cannot stay here?! Daphnes, are you mad?"

"Please, Zarina... you must understand... our daughter is not safe here. Think about it: if we tell this man that our daughter is dead, but everyone in the Kingdom sees her growing up here and fulfilling her role as the Goddess Princess, he will hear about it. And do you honestly believe he would forgive such treachery? If we lie to him now, we have to continue the lie... our Zelda cannot stay here. She must be raised somewhere else, living a life far removed from the life of a noblewoman."

"Y-You... you are suggesting... that... that I give up my first-born daughter, to allow her to be raised by some stranger?! You are telling me that I must cast her away, never to see her again?! Never to hold her, never to hear her sweet voice?! I carried this child all this time, eagerly awaiting the time when I could rock her to sleep and sing her lullabies... and you want me to forget about her?!" Zarina looked hysterical now.

"I know... I know, this is an impossible request. But our duty is to protect our people. Our daughter, our precious Zelda, is our most important treasure. But we cannot endanger the entire capital city for her sake. This way is the only way I devised that we could keep both... keep both our daughter and our people."

"But you just said we cannot keep her!"

"We cannot keep her here, no. But our daughter can still be safe even if she is not here at the Castle. I would rather someone who I trust to raise her as opposed to giving her over to the strange man whose powers I am unfamiliar with. I trust not his motives. Surely, his intentions for Zelda are not good. I must keep her away from him at all costs."

"I... I... oh dear Goddesses, please, do not make me do this...!" Zarina violently sobbed as she buried her face in her hands. The King wordlessly guided his wife into a chair, not wanting to risk her fainting and hurting herself.

"I... I will not get to watch her take her first steps... or hear her speak her first words... or watch as she learns how to draw, or play an instrument... all of the pride I could feel as a mother... you are taking everything away from me." Zarina's tear-soaked eyes glared daggers at Daphnes. The King sighed heavily.

"I understand that you are against this. Do you think I want this? Do you think I enjoy this? Zelda is going to be our pride and joy... but we must stop being selfish. We must make this difficult decision for the sake of everyone, including our own daughter."

"Who... who are you going to ask to raise her?" Zarina whispered, looking down at the ground. Her hand feebly clutched at her chest.

"I trust no one more than Torgaz. I believe him and his new wife Lillia are best-suited to this task. They will raise her well, and I trust that Torgaz will maintain an appropriate level of discretion. After all, simply raising Zelda will not be enough. We have to make sure that at all times, we are propagating the idea that our first-born child passed away. There must be absolutely no rumors that exist within these Castle walls, or beyond them, that whisper about the existence of Princess Zelda. Princess Zelda will be stricken from the mind of our people... at least until such a time that she can live up to her name as the Goddess Princess."

"But how in Nayru's name do you expect her to fulfill her destiny as the Goddess Princess if she is raised by Torgaz? Torgaz is not of royal birth, and his own father disowned him. Surely you can imagine someone better suited than he to raise Hyrule's most important soul?"

"Zarina... this is not an appropriate time for this conversation, but Torgaz is a true gentlemen among noblemen. Torgaz is indeed more noble of heart than his father; I do think it a pity that Torgaz has been disowned, because that means that he cannot inherit anything from his father, but the whole affair between Torgaz and his father is going to work to our advantage. Torgaz no longer lives in the city: we will send our daughter to live with him so that she might be far-removed from the public eye. She will not be discovered if she is living in a small, peaceful village, because her enemies will be too focused on the idea that she is a woman of noble birth. They will not pay any mind to people who might be considered of low social status."

"Why... why, Goddesses, are you testing us so? Never before in the history of our people have we been forced to give up our daughter... please, guide us, and guide our dear Zelda. Please..." Zarina was still fighting tears.

"I must excuse myself so that I may set the plan in motion. Please, dear, go say goodbye to Zelda. When I return, it will be time for her to leave. We cannot afford to tarry." With that, the King of Hyrule left Queen Zarina behind. His words were so final; she knew she had no chance of convincing him to abandon his course. Before her daughter was even a day old, she had no choice but to let someone else raise her. She felt so angry, confused, and an unsettling numbness was also growing inside her head. Everything she had been looking forward to was in mere hours ripped from her grasp forever.

Far removed from the part of the castle in which the Queen gave birth, a young woman was alone in the maids' quarters. She held a small, wrapped bundle against her chest and wept bitterly. The baby was still and silent, but the woman kept begging between her tears for the child to respond to her. Suddenly, the door to the maids' quarters opened and the King himself stepped over the threshold. He silently proceeded towards the crying maid, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder when he closed the distance between them. The woman was briefly frightened, as she had not heard anyone come up from behind her, but her fear turned to shock and embarrassment when she turned around and came face-to-face with His Highness Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II. She clumsily bowed, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Y-your Majesty. I humbly re-request your forgiveness, Sire. I was grieving, and did not hear—"

"It is alright, my child. I understand that you are in pain right now. Some of the other maids told me that I might find you here. I am deeply saddened to hear about your loss, as your loss is also my loss. Your child would have been welcome to work with the Royal Family, just as you have. I can do nothing to make up for the fact that your child left this world so soon after being born, but perhaps I can offer something that will bring comfort to her soul in the afterlife. She will be offered a Royal burial to commemorate her service to my Family."

"C-commemorate her service? But Sire, she was born only yesterday…"

"Yes, I believe that the Gods themselves designed that she was to be born just a day before the Princess was."

"O-oh, that is right, I apologize for not congratulating you sooner on the arrival of the Princess. I trust she is well?"

"She is well, yes, but… I do not wish to put you ill at ease, but she is not safe right now. We are secretly moving her to a different location, away from the Palace. I am going to feign her death, and that is why I must ask if I may borrow your child. I will publicly announce that she passed away shortly after her birth, and we will bury your child as if we were burying my own daughter. If you agree to help me with this, your daughter will be forever honored in the graveyard of Kakariko Village."

"O-of course I agree to help you, Your Majesty. You are welcome to take her. I do not deserve this honor." The woman held out the small bundle to the King, looking at the floor.

"You may rest today and tomorrow. Tomorrow is when we take your child to Kakariko Village. If you would like, you may come with us. I will send a page here to let you know when we are leaving. I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to help me during this difficult time. Your service to my Family will not be forgotten." With that, the King took the child from the maid and left the quarters. Though it hurt him to have to give up his daughter, he was grateful that the Gods had given him all of the pieces to a puzzle that would help him save her and his people from the darkness to come.

As the King traveled through the halls of Hyrule Castle, carefully cradling the lifeless child in his arms, a mysterious, robed figure fell into step beside him without saying a word.

"Golden Goddess, I know it was You earlier who came to our aid. We can never repay the debt we owe You." The King spoke quietly as he continued to walk.

"This is not a matter of being indebted to Us; if anything, We owe everything to Goddess Hylia. Her valiant sacrifice so many ages ago is the key that ensures Hyrule's prosperity... We must protect the Goddess Princess at all costs. We will always be watching over the girl, no matter where she is or what guise she assumes. The day will come when the fate of this very Kingdom will rest on her shoulders, and We must do everything in Our power to make sure that the Goddess Princess remains loyal to the cause of Hylia. If we should lose the Goddess Princess to the Darkness... there will be no hope for anyone in this land."


	2. A Goddess' Prophecy and Her Champion

The oppressive sun let nothing escape its wrath. The ground and air were stiff with heat and not even the shade of a few trees provided any comfort. The rock walls were weak and dusty from the lack of moisture, and every step kicked up a flurry of thick dust. Despite the Spirit Temple being located next to an oasis, a band of people felt no more comfortable working on it. Surprisingly, a people thrived amidst the extremities of desert life. They were known as the Gerudo, a wily group of women: they were one of the seven races of the Kingdom of Hyrule.

"C'mon you guys, there's no point continuing in this sandstorm!" shouted Zukto, trying to yell over the roaring wind to his teammates. He held his left hand above his eyes and squinted, to try and increase his field of visibility. He could not discern any improvement, unfortunately; not even his goggles were much help. The sand was being viciously whipped about, nearly hindering communication.

"Right… it's too thick, even for us. This is really dangerous!" agreed Nelona, fumbling with some tools she had been trying to use, quite unsuccessfully, for the past half hour.

"Zukto, don't worry, you've done great. We can finish by tomorrow no problem." Nabooru said. The esteemed leader of the Gerudo calmly gathered up their tools and shut them into a box. Zukto hoisted it up on one shoulder and signaled the others to follow. The walk back to the Gerudo Base would take a while longer since visibility was at an all-time low, but Zukto and his friends were used to this kind of thing. They had to talk loudly to hear one another, but the long walk back to their Fortress was passed with lively conversation. In order not to lose their way, the Gerudo had erected posts tied with huge, bright ribbons that marked the safest route through the desert. Whenever they traveled between the Fortress and the Temple, the travelers always made the habit of tapping the post with their hands to make sure the post was real. For those who took the desert lightly, mirages were a threat. Finally, Zukto pushed against the last post.

"We're in the clear everyone! We're home!" He declared. The group cheered happily, and chatted even more excitedly. At the Fortress, the sandstorm was virtually non-existent.

"Gosh, I'm so tired. Nabooru, can we have the rest of the day off?" Nelona asked.

The Gerudo Leader looked thoughtful. "You can have tonight off, and tomorrow." No sooner than she announced the good news, someone quickly approached the group. It was another Gerudo woman, though her stature was quite petite; she was the smallest adult in the Tribe. Sometimes she was made fun of for it, but she was arguably one of the best Gerudo warriors so she was well-respected despite her size.

"Welcome back, you guys! But you were gone way longer than expected; what happened?" Reta asked worriedly. She glanced at her friends to look for any signs of injury.

"Don't worry, Reta. The sandstorm near the temple was just a bit rougher than normal; we're fine. We'll just have to wait to complete the restoration of the temple." Nabooru said, smiling slightly. Zukto never failed to impress her; but then again if she thought he would let her down, she would have never accepted him as her pupil in the first place.

"Tomorrow? Really? What's the occasion, Master Nabooru?" Zukto asked, bringing the conversation back on track. He was confused; they rarely had days off.

"…You will know in due time, my student." Nabooru grabbed the toolbox from Zukto, and casually headed towards the Fortress. She had an office within the Fortress, and was likely headed there. Nelona and Zukto exchanged glances while Zukto just shrugged. Reta was just as puzzled.

"Well that was cryptic, and obviously for you. So you really don't know anything?" Reta asked.

"Beats me. Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm really clueless." Zukto assured them.

"…Well, whatever. I'm guessing it's thanks to you that I get a day off tomorrow. I'll drink to your honor tonight!" Nelona said chuckling, stretching out her back and arms. Working on the Temple was always strenuous and unpredictable. No one could escape a day of work without stiff muscles.

"I appreciate the gesture. Well, I'm exhausted. I think I'll turn in for the day. Don't have too much fun, you hear? I ain't babysitting you when you're hung over." Zukto joked, yawned slightly, and started his trek home.

He did not live in the Fortress; he had a small home past the horseback archery range. He waved at the woman in charge of the range as he passed. She winked in response. Zukto chuckled to himself. All of the women flirted with him constantly, though he did not blame them. Besides the fact that Zukto came to live with the Gerudo eight years ago, the women in the Tribe rarely got to see any men. And Zukto was not sure at first that it was even possible, but he had become even more handsome during his stay in the desert. Pairing his looks with his hard-working nature made him pretty desirable in the eyes of the fairer sex in the Desert.

"Ah, home sweet home," mused Zukto when he stepped through his front door. He wandered to his bathroom, removed the goggles from his face, and ran a hand through his messy brown hair to shake the sand out. The Gerudo lived, worked, and played in the sand, so often times they would not bother to wash up at night. Zukto thought they sometimes had the appearance of a dusty artifact. He, on the other hand, washed up every night. It was a habit drilled into his head back in his homeland.

"Charcai… Land of the Morph. Heh. I wonder if my Master knows about that… she seems to know everything else, at any rate." The young adult shook his head, an ironic smile lighting his features. He would have never fooled any Gerudo for a second that he was one of them. They were a cursed people; only one male was born to the tribe every 100 years. It just so happened that a male was born four decades ago, making him a bit older than Zukto. Strangely, in all of his time at the Desert, Zukto never met the man. Apparently he was so busy that he never visited, even during a span of eight years.

It did surprise the Gerudo however, to discover that a complete outsider had settled into their lifestyle so easily. In addition, he had no qualms about taking orders from women or treating them respectfully. Though he was not blood-related to the Tribe, the women had come to accept Zukto as an Honorary Gerudo because of his service to their leader. Zukto was grateful for their acceptance, and proud to count himself one of the Gerudo. He had never felt so connected to a group of people before, even back home.

After splashing some water on his face that he kept in a basin, and drying off, Zukto slumped onto his bed. He felt physically tired, but sleep was resisting him. He tossed and turned, before deciding to lie still and stare at the ceiling. The crest of the Spirit Temple was painted in orange on his ceiling. He smiled slightly. He remembered Master Nabooru painting it there when he first came to the Desert.

"Those were the days…" Zukto sighed, before finally nodding off.

Zukto looked around, and realized he didn't have a clue where he was.

"Hello?" He yelled out in the hallway. It echoed for a really long time. _This must be one long hallway. Maybe I should follow it and find out what's on the other side_ , he thought.

After a bit of running, Zukto found himself in an extremely ornate chamber.

"What? These are all paintings and statues of the Goddesses… but I've never seen these before…" He muttered, stopping at the largest of the statues. It had all three of the Goddesses; Din, the Goddess of Power was at the center, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, was sitting on her knees to Din's left, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage, was sitting on her knees to Din's right. They were arranged exactly like the real Triforce was arranged.

"Wow, the detail is simply amazing, I've never seen anything like it…" Zukto took another minute to study the statue. While the statue was interesting, there was still more to see. He moved on to a smaller chamber to the statue's left. It had several separate hallways branching out from it, but all of them appeared to be sealed off. Zukto's attention was drawn to a pedestal that stood in the middle of the chamber. Attached to the top of the pedestal was a stone slab, with a scripture of some sort written on it. Zukto tried to read it, but was alarmed to discover that he could not.

"Wha- what language is that…? It looks like the Hylian alphabet, but it's too different for me to make sense of it…"

Zukto felt a little uneasy about the tablet, but decided he would move along and observe more of the building. As he looked up from the tablet, he gasped and stepped back slightly. Standing before him was none other than the Goddess Din. She was arguably the most beautiful of the Goddesses. Her long hair was a brilliant red color and it elegantly draped from her head. Usually Din was depicted as having her hair up, but she appeared before Zukto with no hair ties. She also wore nothing the folk tales or legends had described; a belt hugged her hips and a skirt with long slits down either side draped from below the belt. The skirt was the same color as her hair. Her chest was covered with a tightly laced red corset, accentuating her curves. Her feet and arms were bare, but her wrists bore many thick, golden bracelets. Zukto blushed slightly in spite of himself at the sight of her. Her beauty was unlike any human he had ever laid eyes on.

"Finally, you have come. I have been trying to get a hold of you for several days now… it is abnormally hard to penetrate your mind, Zukto." The Goddess mused as she sauntered up to Zukto. The many bracelets she wore jingled merrily.

"G- Goddess Din!" Zukto bowed deeply, after breaking out of his mental stupor. To call Din captivating would be an understatement.

"No, no, stand up straight." Din quickly closed the distance between her and Zukto. "Come on now, stand straight and still."

Din circled Zukto slowly, closely examining him. She stopped back in front of him and grabbed his face, staring into his eyes intensely. Her grip was unexpectedly firm. Zukto was understandably nervous, and he did not know what to do with his arms or eyes. He was trying to keep his gaze above Din's shoulders, to avoid offending her.

"Yes… you are perfect. You are the one I have been waiting for." Din nodded after a time, letting go of his head. She smiled triumphantly as she placed a hand on her hip and leaned her weight on her right leg.

"You… were waiting for _me_? Why?" Zukto asked.

"Well my dear… I need you for a really big job. I, and my sisters, keep watch over Hyrule. Things have been changing for two decades now, and it is finally time that I call on a Hero to help me sort things out. The changes We see are not good. Even in the middle of the day, I can feel a shadow looming over this land." Din's expression was pensive.

"I can't really say I've noticed much, but… why not ask… you know… that guy from the legends."

"The enemy has joined forces with The Great King of Evil. The descendant of the Hero of Time, whom I suspect is the one you are referring to, could deal with The Great King, as their struggles have been described in ancient texts. The Hero of Time will always triumph over Ganon, but… that hero alone is no longer enough. I have told him of my fears, and I do believe he is conducting his own investigations into the manner. I told him, however, to not actively engage the enemy for I fear for his safety."

"So you're saying that… the Great King… is not even the biggest threat right now?"

"Correct. Zukto, I believe it is you who I need. I have poured over ancient scriptures, and they speak of a Champion of Spirit. I know you call The Sage of Spirit your Master. It is most fortuitous for Us that you came to the land of Hyrule to seek training."

Zukto was a bit taken aback by the Goddess's words. _I'm… this land's… Champion? But… Ah! I finally have a way to prove to my Master that I am worthy of being her pupil. If I accept this task, my Master will definitely get attention from people in the mainland. If I exceed the Goddesses' expectations, Nabooru might even be regarded more important than her rival, the Sage of Shadow._

"Most Honorable Goddess Din, what must I do? Just tell me."

"So you accept then? I am relieved beyond words, Zukto. You must travel throughout Hyrule. At times, you may even need to leave our great land, all in the name of finding ancient weapons made by the Gods themselves. These weapons are mentioned in my ancient texts as being the keys to your victory, My Champion."

"So, what about my enemy…? Do you know…?"

"I had the misfortune about twenty years ago of meeting with one of them on behalf of a servant of mine. Luckily his powers were no match for mine; he could not even tell I was in disguise when we met."

"One of them? So there are more?"

"There appear to be thirteen in all. I have been trying to watch their movements to find their base of operations, but they move around too much and lately they have gotten smarter. They use The Great King of Evil as their 'messenger,' and I cannot approach him myself because as we all know my essence, The Triforce of Power, rests with him."

"What's my first task then?"

"You must find two others. I hope you were not entertaining thoughts of being a lone Wolfos on this journey. While it is true that The Hero of Time saved Hyrule essentially by himself in the past, things are unlike previous confrontations. You cannot hope to defeat the thirteen members of the Darkness Orb by yourself."

… _Darkness Orb…? Why does that sound so familiar?_

"I understand My Goddess. Who shall I request for help?" When Zukto finished his question, Din closed her eyes and focused her powers. When she opened them, two pedestals rose from the floor. Each had a crystal ball mounted to it.

"Peer into them, one at a time." She commanded. Zukto did as instructed. The first crystal ball displayed a young man who was much taller than Zukto, with the same color hair, and blue eyes. He seemed to be in possession of one of the largest swords Zukto had ever seen. Right as the vision came into focus, the man was in the middle of a fight with a monster: it was a Stalfos. The skeleton was alternating defensive and offensive strategies, often ducking behind its great shield when it anticipated a heavy blow from the man's weapon was forthcoming. His weapon was impressive, but due to its size his counters always came too slowly. Getting impatient, he purposely swung his sword again at the undead body. The Stalfos pulled up its shield like predicted. Then came something unexpected; the young man kicked one of the Stalfos's legs. The brittle bone cracked instantly, and the beast fell to its knees. With that, the triumphant man plowed his sword through the Stalfos's skull as fast as he could. That was the finishing blow.

"He is a bounty hunter; Kyoshiro. As you can see… well, he hasn't had 'formal' training like you. But I feel his powers can be of help to you. The easiest way to find him would be to report to the Hyrule Castle Bounty Hunter headquarters. Now, if you will go to the other one…"

Zukto and Din stopped before the remaining crystal ball and glanced into it. It revealed a dark alley way.

"Um, I'm sorry, but there's… there's no one here." Zukto observed.

"Look harder." Zukto did as he was told; suddenly, a cloaked figure seemingly jumped out from the shadows of the alley. The figure stopped before a man who seemed to be on the run from something. With no warning, the vision died.

"Oh my… something just interfered… what was that…" Din muttered to herself.

Zukto had a feeling the cloaked figure was the one Din wanted him to talk to, but with the image in the crystal ball suddenly cutting out, he had nothing to go by in order to find the person. Just a mysterious, cloaked figure…

"Do you have any information regarding that last vision?"

"Well, that was definitely the alleyways of Hyrule Castle Town. Lucky you: both of your targets will be in the same place. Oh yes. When you find them, I insist that you bring them back here. Alright, My Champion?" Din smiled pleasantly, and with that her body dematerialized.

"Wait, don't leave-!" Zukto yelled, sitting upright. He found himself right back in his room.

"… Wait, what? That was all a dream…?" He was a little perplexed, trying to figure out how something so seemingly real could just be a dream. He also was not sure how to react to his dream. Was he tired from work he did that day, or did it have meaning?

 _I should… ask my Master about it._ He decided. He quickly left his small house and headed towards Nabooru's office within the Gerudo Fortress. It was early evening; the sun was descending out of view, making the air much cooler than it was during the day.

"Master? I have something important to ask you." Zukto started as he entered her office. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh, so you're up? What is it?"

"I- I had a dream. Just now. The Goddess Din spoke to me."

"Oh? What did she want?"

"Apparently, I have to find two people. They need to accompany me on a journey."

Nabooru's expression was grave. _So, it's begun then. I didn't expect it to be this soon…_

"I understand. I won't question you anymore. Whatever that dream was about is none of my concern. You know what you must do, my student. But please, if you would, stay at least for this evening. You need to be fully rested for tomorrow. Don't worry about us; we've managed for thousands of years without the help of any men." Her expression changed from concern to encouragement.

"Master… thank you for everything. If I ever have any time, I'll come see everyone. I'll go say my goodbyes now." Zukto bowed respectfully, and silently left the base. He would not be here, the place he considered his home away from home, this time tomorrow.

The sun roused Zukto awake the next morning. He slowly sat up in bed and waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright light. _It's time._ Without sparing a second more for thought, Zukto jumped out of bed. He searched for his most important possessions. He found and shouldered his bow and quiver of arrows, grabbed his map of Hyrule, and pocketed his store of rupees. Without looking back, he headed straight out of his house and to the archery ring where the horses were stabled.

"Don't you look all ready to leave on an adventure." joked Reta as Zukto walked past her.

"I am." He jumped on his horse, pausing a moment before continuing. "Your mom knows, ask her. I would have told you, but you were asleep when I stopped by. Goodbye, Reta. Let's go!" He called to his horse as he squeezed it with his legs. The horse reacted to the pressure, whinnied, and lunged forward into a gallop. The quick movement kicked up a cloud of dust. Reta covered her face and coughed. When it settled, she watched Zukto speed off East, towards Hyrule.

"… Zukto…" Reta sighed.

"What is it, Reta?" Nabooru asked as she approached her.

"Zukto… he left without saying anything…" she frowned.

Nabooru looked off towards mainland Hyrule. _I wish you the best of luck… and please remember what I taught you: Shadows don't always signify evil._


	3. A Bounty Hunter and a Cloaked Mystery

Zukto encouraged his mount to move faster after it trotted off of the bridge that connected Gerudo Valley to Hyrule Field. The horse snorted, but did as Zukto wanted.

Zukto sighed and closed his eyes as the pair zoomed across the ground. The wind and their speed whipped the horse's mane about. Zukto opened his eyes again, to make sure he could keep the horse from colliding with anything. Soon enough, Death Mountain grew on the horizon; a plume of vapor rose from the crater, as always. When the mountain appeared in his line of sight, he encouraged his horse to slow down. They still had a while to travel, and although he was anxious to get to Castle Town Zukto knew that the horse would appreciate a more comfortable pace.

The Castle Town was just a little west of Death Mountain. As they slowly trotted along, Zukto was left to his own thoughts.

 _This entire time, I have been searching for the reason why I was brought here. For eight years, I've lived in that Desert. I had to learn their language, and only the Goddesses know how I was able to do it. I am grateful to Master Nabooru especially for taking me into the tribe; she didn't have to. Maybe she could sense from the beginning that my being here was due to some greater plot, but even that thought is not comforting when you're a young man who suddenly finds himself stranded in a desert in an unknown land with nothing but the clothes on his back. Fate sure is a strange thing. But if this mission was really what brought me to the land of Hyrule all those years ago… I will not rest until the Goddesses' bidding is done. It is honestly a relief for me, to know that my being transported here was not some kind of a freak accident._

Within a few hours, they were nearing the drawbridge that granted one access to Castle Town. There were some guards stationed at the drawbridge; they saluted Zukto and simultaneously welcomed him. He nodded, and guided his horse past them. Once on the Castle Town side of the bridge, Zukto dismounted. There were posts scattered across town to tie up horses. Zukto picked one out of the way, tied up his horse, and looked around. He had never been to Castle Town before.

 _So this is what a Hylian city looks like…_ He thought to himself as he headed in the direction of the Town Square. All of the stores were there, and therefore people would be milling about gossiping. Plenty of people would have to know where the Bounty Hunter Headquarters was located. Children as well as adults gathered in the Square. Some children were playing games with one another; many adults were holding private conversations or shopping. Some people glanced at Zukto with bewildered looks on their faces; Zukto was quite a bit tanner than these people and they thought it strange. Most of them had probably never even seen a Gerudo before, and though Zukto was not one himself, the constant exposure to sunlight in the hot, dry desert tipped people off as to his "origins." Finally, Zukto saw someone who looked like they could help him: it was a book salesman.

"Excuse me sir, I have never set foot inside the Castle Town walls before… where may I find the Bounty Hunter Headquarters?"

"Ah, the BH huh? Well, you'll need to head to the Palace if you want to stop by the Headquarters. Do you know where that is?"

"I think I can find it. Thank you for your help. Oh, take this." Zukto pulled out a red-colored rupee, worth twenty rupees, and gave it to the man for his trouble. The man beamed appreciatively. With that, Zukto made for the Royal Palace at a jog. Even though it seemed to be quite a ways off, he could still see a castle towering over all else. What else could it be, besides the Palace? He was anxious to either beat Kyoshiro to it, or catch him before he left again.

"Stop! Thief!" A shop owner yelled out to the Town Square a short while after Zukto left the area. Many of the women screamed and tried to hide, dragging children with them. A smug man was running from a shop, carrying a large sword. No guards were in the area, unfortunately for the shop owner, but someone else heard the cry and decided to help. The person, shrouded in a dark cloak from head to foot, hid in the shadows of one of the alleyways. The mysterious person stood absolutely still, and seemingly melted into the darkness. The man ran into the person's field of view, like predicted. With that the cloaked person stepped out of the shadows, startling the thief.

"Ah, think you're some hero huh? You ain't so tough. And you're pretty stupid, approaching me when I have **THIS!** " The thief ripped the sword from its sheathe, tossed the case aside, and pointed it at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure did not move an inch.

"Fine, if you aren't going to do anything, then I **WILL!** " The man lunged forward with the sword.

"Amateur." Was all that escaped from the cloaked person's mouth. As soon as the thief was within inches of his target and was about to connect the sword to his target with a vertical slice, the sword hit some invisible force and went flying out of his hands. The thief looked bewildered, but recovered quickly. He recovered quicker than the cloaked person was anticipating, and surprised his adversary by tackling him to the ground. He whipped out a knife from under his clothes to finish the job, but stopped in shock.

The person's hood had come off when the two of them landed on the ground; the thief couldn't believe that a woman had stood up to him when he was carrying around that sword! Even more unexpected was the fact that the woman had a strange scar circling her left eye; the scar was shaped like a crescent moon. It was flashing red. He thought he had seen enough strange things, but the woman opened her eyes and the man immediately flinched. Her eyes shone as red as her scar was; she looked angry.

"What the **hell** are you, some kind of demon in disguise?" He cried as he quickly got off of the woman, not wanting anything more to do with her.

"Heh. What, are you _afraid_?" The woman taunted as she stood back up to face the criminal. Though she was preserving her stony façade, the man's words pierced straight to her core. He called her a demon. Demons, like monsters, were creatures of immense cruelty and violence. Was she truly such a being? Was she really so detestable, so frightful?

" **DIE** , you bitch!" He yelled, rushing at her with the knife. It seemed that he was oblivious to the turmoil swirling around in her mind, which she was thankful for. She smiled darkly, and suddenly disappeared from view.

"What the hell?" He stopped right where she had been standing moments before, and quickly looked around for his target.

"I would actually consider you a threat if you were not so… stupidly rash…" Her voice called from the shadows, echoing ominously through the alleyway.

The man shivered slightly. _That thing must be a demon. There's no other way…_

"What, you think you can just sit there and daydream? You are more a fool than I thought!" She scoffed as a purple light came out of nowhere and crashed into the thief. He was sent flying backwards, and collapsed to the ground. As he landed on the ground, the woman once again revealed herself to him.

"I have been trained by a powerful sorceress. From the looks of it, you have no training whatsoever. Do not worry, I will not kill you. But, I will…" She paused as she approached the man, picking up the sword he stole in the process. She gave it a firm practice swing, taunting him as she drew ever closer.

"Oh yes, I can use this thing properly. I would sit tight if I were you." She threatened.

The man was not in a hurry to die, but the woman who towered above him frightened and angered him.

"Y-you're a demon! They'll catch you!" He yelled hysterically just as some Castle Guards entered the alleyway.

"We found him! Arrest him!" One of the guards declared. Four men, fully clothed in chain mail armor, and armed with spears and shields, rushed to the man on the ground and detained him. The guard who did not rush to the criminal approached the woman instead.

"Princess, how can we repay you for helping us to bring this man to justice?" The man asked, bowing.

"Please straighten up. No one knows about me. Do not call me Princess out in the open. Besides…"

"Princess, if I may, you know The King…"

"Enough about him." The woman snapped.

"Er, well, I'm sorry Your Highness, but… he wants to see you. He knows you came to town."

"… Fine. Please get this man out of my sight, and here is the stuff he stole." The Princess shoved the sword into the hands of the guard, pulled her hood back over her face, and ran off. The man who was detained stared after the Princess with an indescribable look of horror on his face.

"… You called her Princess? But we… we already… and she looks nothing… what the hell is this kingdom coming to?"

"Sir, kindly **shut up**. You are not worthy enough to be versed in the affairs of The King of Hyrule, His Majesty Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II." The guard who approached the Princess earlier declared. The thief rolled his eyes.

"Bloody corrupt, every single god damn…" Before he could finish, one of the guards struck him in the back of the head with a well-aimed punch.

"Sorry Sir, it won't happen again." The guard who swung at the criminal apologized.

"Excused. Drag him to the Dungeons will you?" The guard commanded. He left his companions to escort the man to the Palace while he went to return the stolen property.

Finally, Zukto stopped in front of the BH headquarters he had been searching for. He grabbed the handle of the door and pulled, experiencing mixed feelings. When he entered the main hall, there was a counter with a man stationed at it. He had his legs propped up on the desk, and he appeared to be smoking. Zukto hated the smell, but he tried to be as polite as possible.

"E-excuse me, but does a man work here? The name is… K-kyo… Kyo…" Zukto started, forgetting the man's name.

"Aah, Kyoshiro? Lemme get 'im." The man said, getting up and disappearing down a hallway. Shortly after, the man returned, with the giant man from the crystal ball in tow.

"You wanted to see me? I hope whatever it is you want you'll pay me well for it. I'm pretty well-known around here and valued for my talents and skill, you see." Kyoshiro bragged.

 _Someone sure is full of himself… great._

"… I have a very, very important business proposition to discuss with you, Kyoshiro. The rewards do not end at money. Do… eternal glory and respect appeal to you?" Zukto asked. Kyoshiro genuinely looked interested.

 _Hook, line, and sinker…_

"Yes, it is a very important matter… in fact, it's top secret. Why don't we step outside? Don't worry; I'm not here to kill you. You're… valuable to me." Zukto explained, choosing his words carefully. He was nervous that this person would turn him down. If Kyoshiro did not agree to help, he was not sure what his next move would be as he could not return to Goddess Din with one chosen one missing. Kyoshiro agreed to follow Zukto out of the Palace.

As the two were leaving, a strange, cloaked figure passed them. Zukto stopped dead in his tracks.

 _No way… is that… the other one…?_

Since Zukto did not know the person's name, he could not get the hooded figure's attention. He could have rudely yelled something like, "Hey, you!" but he let the figure pass him instead; he stared after them for a while.

"What's your deal? I've seen that cloaked person a lot around town lately." Kyoshiro said.

"… Really? What does that person do? Do you know who it is? That person is allowed to just wander around the Castle?"

"Whoah, man, calm down. Are you some kind of stalker? Honestly, I have no clue who that is. He has been in and out of the Castle recently, and talks with guards most of the time."

"I'm sorry, I really need to talk to you, but I also need to figure out who that is." Zukto explained apologetically as he ran up to a guard that the cloaked person passed.

"Excuse me sir, can you please tell me who that is?" Zukto whispered as he pointed at the person turning a corner. The guard watched the person in the cloak disappear before turning to face Zukto.

"That person is a special guest of Hyrule's Royal Family. Do not disturb him." The guard declared.

"Okay, thanks for your time…" Zukto muttered as he ran back to Kyoshiro, who decided not to follow him.

"What the heck was that about?" Kyoshiro asked.

"… I think… I've seen that person before. I really need to talk to him… but I suppose it can wait. Come, you and I have things to discuss." The two adventurers left the Palace to find a quiet place to talk.

The cloaked figure stopped before a group of guards.

"The King has requested my presence."

"State your name and business." A guard requested. The Princess lowered her hood.

"I am your Princess. Please let me see my Father." The guards all bowed, and two of them opened a large door for her. She hurried past them, putting her hood back on.

"… She has always scared me, especially since her training regime in Kakariko was intensified in recent years. And now, her face is different too. You saw that, didn't you?" One of the guards whispered. The others didn't acknowledge the comment, but each of them silently agreed.

The Princess, with her Hylian ears, heard everything the guard said even as she was walking away. Again, the sinking feeling that she had felt when she encountered the thief crept up on her; this man also thought she was frightening, like Demise's spawn.

Part of her wanted to turn back, to get in the man's face, to impress on him how thoughtless his comment was... but she knew that to do so would be to validate his opinion of her. Trying to ignore the feeling of anger bubbling up inside of herself, the Princess did not stop until she stood before the throne where her Father and Mother sat. They rose when she came to a stop.

"… My daughter. My Zelda." The King stated. The Princess lowered her hood with a sigh. The King and Queen visibly flinched when they saw their daughter's face, though she did not notice their reactions.

 _What in Nayru's name…? She did not look like that last time she came to see us._

"… So you just assume you know who I am? What if I was an assassin?"

"The guards would not have let you past."

"What if I came here in disguise? Or better yet, what if I just killed all of your guards?" The Princess retorted, feeling antagonistic.

"My daughter, I am not going to assume that everyone who visits me is here to kill me."

"Right, just like you should not assume that the _daughter you abandoned_ would instantly forgive you and run into your arms like nothing ever happened." She snapped. The King flinched again.

"Princess… Zelda. Please. It is an issue of…" Daphnes II began, pleadingly.

"Just stop. I have heard the excuse before. You are were saving Hyrule or some such nonsense. Well look: you are wasting my time. I have work to do. If you have nothing productive or important to say, then let me go." She demanded.

"What, are you off to gather more information on The Great King of Evil?" The King asked. Zelda did not verbally respond, but her heart nearly seized up when she heard her father say 'The Great King of Evil.' It was all she could do to try and suppress the vivid memories forcing themselves to the front of her mind... her vision momentarily got cloudy, but through sheer force of will and anger Zelda was able to bury the painful memories. She regarded the King with suspicion.

"I know what happened. You went to find him even though I warned you not to… and I have to assume that you could not defeat him. By the way, do you mind explaining to me why your face now looks like that?"

"Do I mind explaining why...? _Excuse me?_ So now you are going to insult what I look like? Oh, that is just rich. You manage to completely piss me off every time I have to come see you. I could not make up this crap if I tried." Zelda nearly spat. So her own father, too, was going to torment her for something she had no control over. People were so tiresome.

"I asked you a question!"

"Father, I know that paying attention to me is not something that you have much experience with. But what in Nayru's name are you going on about? I have not changed: I _was born with this ugly scar and these eyes_. That is why I always hide my face. Thank you though, for reminding me that no one can accept me while I look like this. I always wanted to feel totally rejected by society." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and her eyes could have burned a hole through him the way she was glaring at him.

"You are the one who is in the wrong here: _you were not_ born with that scar."

"Whatever you say. Are we done here? I need to settle the score between me and Ganondorf." Just thinking about Ganondorf both terrified her and made her unbelievably angry, but she could not afford to let him act with impunity.

" **Enough!** " Daphnes yelled. Zelda flinched this time, caught off guard by her father's anger.

"Princess Zelda: you are my heir. I cannot have you endangering yourself! Think about your family! And the Kingdom!"

"What family? The family that _gave me away_? Yes, you are an amazing family. Truly. Excuse me, but you had nothing to do with raising me. Maybe if you wanted to control my life you should have kept me. And besides, I am of age. I can do whatever I damn well please. If you will excuse me… Father." With that, Zelda turned on her heel and stormed out, covering her face again with her hood. Her anger was so intense, and so well-concealed, that she nearly could feel her skin heating up.

As her daughter left, the Queen collapsed in her seat and clutched her chest where her heart was. She looked faint.

"My… my Gods… you know what that is, don't you…? She is cursed." The Queen's face was pale.

"…Yes. And the magic seems to be quite advanced. It seems to be able to influence her memories." The King muttered.

"Oh, dear; why can't we just tell her? Everything?"

"Right now, she is too vulnerable and upset. It might make matters worse. I can only tell her when her mind is clear. We have protected her this long from the shadows… we just need to continue on our current path."

"I just pray…" The Queen began. Before she could finish, someone hurried into the Throne Room.

"Mother, mother! I heard, was my sister here?" A young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and long, pointed ears ran up to her parents, breathing quickly from her run.

"Well, she was here dear, but… she got impatient with us and left." The Queen said sadly.

"Oh… and she didn't say hi…" The little girl muttered, looking teary-eyed at the ground. The Queen held the girl close, and slowly stroked her head. Suddenly, she felt relieved that her eldest daughter had run out of the castle. She was worried what her youngest daughter, Azera, would think of Zelda's new face. She doubted that they could hide Azera from Zelda forever, since the young girl was quite persistent when she wanted something, but the longer she could keep them separated the better.

"… And, that's that. I know that I don't have a lot of information, but… I think we'll get more as time goes on. Our enemy is tricky, apparently…" Zukto finished explaining.

Kyoshiro had a raised eyebrow most of the time, but the end prompted a different response from him.

"So you're saying that we're needed more than The Hero of Time? … Alright. I'll do it. I'll join you." Kyoshiro agreed.

"Excellent. I'm glad you're lending me your help." Zukto stood up and stretched a bit. They had been sitting in the grass, outside of the Palace.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Zukto. I come from the Gerudo Valley." Zukto outstretched his hand. Kyoshiro shot him a weird look, because he knew about the curse of the Gerudo and had a feeling that Zukto was not an actual Gerudo. Nonetheless, he shook his hand.

"I'm Kyoshiro, but I guess you already knew that. So do they talk about me in Gerudo Valley?"

"No, actually, we don't talk about anything from the mainland." Zukto answered, somewhat amused.

"What the heck? Then what do you talk about?"

"Training, building, legends, ancient texts… stuff like that."

"Wow… that sounds boring."

"… Wait a second. Shh." Zukto suddenly interjected. Kyoshiro looked around to try and see what the big deal was. Zukto quietly pointed Kyoshiro in the right direction: a cloaked figure was leaving the Palace. It was past nightfall, so Zukto was hoping that the person could not see him. He barely could see the cloaked individual as it was; the dark cloak blended in with the lack of light, except when a lantern lit up the pathway.

"You're really interested in that person, aren't you?" Kyoshiro whispered.

"Let's hide until they pass; I want to follow them." Zukto and Kyoshiro hid behind some trees, and watched the figure make its way back to Castle Town. When they were well out of earshot, the two continued to follow their target.

"So you _are_ a stalker…" Kyoshiro muttered, half-jokingly.

When they got back to Town Square, the cloaked person was nowhere to be found.

"Oh dang it, we lost him…" Zukto sighed, slightly frustrated. He did not have long to brood though; a couple of guards approached him and Kyoshiro.

"Excuse me sirs, have you seen a Hylian wandering around here? We are looking for someone with red eyes and black hair."

"No, I'm sorry, we haven't. We are looking for someone ourselves actually; can you help?"

"Sure son, what do you need?"

"I'm looking for a person, completely shrouded in a cloak." Zukto explained. The guards looked at each other. One shook his head.

"Sorry, I have no idea… my shift only started five minutes ago. Good luck gentlemen!"

The guards nodded and continued on their way. Zukto turned to Kyoshiro as they left.

"… Can Hylians have red eyes?" He asked.

"Hah, no way! I've heard that an ancient race of people, the Sheikah, have red eyes, but not Hylians. If those guards are looking for a 'Hylian…' Well at the very least, the person cannot be a pure-blooded Hylian. But I heard that the Sheikah are few in number these days… " Kyoshiro explained. Zukto looked at Kyoshiro in surprise.

"… This whole thing is getting more suspicious."

"Heh, you're telling me. But that's what makes the job so interesting. Well, now what?"

"I have no idea… I just wish I could find the cloaked person…"

"… When were you going to stop following me around? Who are you? You are lucky I do not call the guards after you." A woman's voice asked suddenly. Zukto and Kyoshiro both jumped in surprise.

"Who's there?" Zukto demanded.

"Heh, relax. You were the ones following me, so be glad I am deciding to show myself." As if she was literally born of shadow, she emerged from the darkness of an alley just like the person Zukto watched in the crystal ball. It was the cloaked person after all!

"Y-you! I've been trying to hunt you down all day!" Zukto said excitedly.

 _I will say though, I did not expect my target to be a woman…_

"I know. You do not hide yourselves too well. Now you better explain why you have been following me before I send the guards after you." She spoke calmly, but already Zelda could feel her heart speeding up. She quickly observed the two guys: one had a bow, and the other a sword. While she hoped that they were not here to fight with her, she felt herself tensing up anyway in anticipation of a fight.

"Excuse me. My name is Zukto; I come from Gerudo Valley. This is Kyoshiro: he's a Bounty Hunter from the Palace. I was told to come find Kyoshiro, and you." When Zukto explained that he was from Gerudo Valley, the woman shot him a weird look; he could not see it because her face was obscured by her hood. Why would this guy go around telling people that he was from Gerudo Valley? After all, only one man could be born to the tribe every one hundred years; Zelda had already met the one Gerudo man, Ganondorf. Thinking about Ganondorf again made her mouth feel dry, but she was admittedly curious about this strange guy who claimed he was from the Valley.

"Well, hello Zukto, and Kyoshiro. You were told to come find me? By whom?"

"Tell me your name." Zukto requested. The Princess did not respond right away; she was trying to decide what to tell them, because she absolutely was not going to tell them the truth. After all, they would likely not believe her without some kind of proof. Any definitive proof she could present them with would be back at the Palace, but she would rather go anywhere else besides the Castle.

"… I am Azera. Now, who was it?" The Princess pressed, quickly deciding to use her younger sister's name.

 _Azera? Wait, haven't I heard that name before...? But where?_ Kyoshiro thought, raising an eyebrow.

"… A Goddess told me in a dream. I must bring you to where I was in my dream. The Goddess says this Kingdom is in danger, and The Hero of Time is not enough to stop the impending threat. If you come with me, you'll get to meet with the Goddess yourself."

"Wow, meeting with a real Goddess? This keeps getting better and better all the time! Say… why are you hiding behind that huge cloak? Why don't you at least show your face?" Kyoshiro asked, quite curious.

"Ask me again and I shall see to it that your head no longer sits on your shoulders." Zelda threatened darkly. She had a feeling that just asking them to leave her alone was not going to work, so she opted for a more aggressive approach. And anyway, more than one person had already called her demonic during the course of the day; perhaps they were on to something.

"Hey, excuse me, we should not be threatening and fighting each other. Kyoshiro, we really need her help according to the Goddess, so let's just let her hide if she wants to."

"Hmph, fine." Kyoshiro muttered. _What good is having a woman on the team if I can't check her out?_

"Does it not bother you, having the Goddesses tell you that you need to join forces with a woman? I thought men felt that women have no place on the battlefield." She inquired, trying to understand the two men better.

"They don't." Kyoshiro immediately snapped.

"The Gerudo have no men in their tribe. Every single woman who is of age knows how to fight so she can defend her home. I think it's important that women at least know how to defend themselves. I haven't really seen your powers, so I am unsure, but if the Goddesses told me I need you then I believe them." Zukto explained matter-of-factly.

"Your unique experience should not be taken for granted; a lot of people do not think that way. I shall follow your lead; where to?" At least for the time being, he did not seem to mean her harm. And even if he did mean her harm, she was no stranger to dangerous situations. Because he mentioned the Goddesses, Zelda was incredibly intrigued. She already decided to follow him, to determine whether or not Zukto was serious about meeting them.

"… I… don't actually know. I had a dream, I was in… some sort of temple… but I never knew where the Temple was located. And the Goddess wants me to go back there with you two."

"… Follow me." Zelda quickly headed in the direction of The Temple of Light.

"Where is she going…? Azera! Talk to us!" Zukto called out to her, running to catch up. Kyoshiro followed behind, significantly less interested. He had been to The Temple of Light before, and it was quite empty.

"We are about to enter a sacred place. Keep your voices down." Zelda explained as they stood before the Temple door. She pulled one of the wooden doors open and glanced inside. The inside looked as it always did, though the exterior was quite deceiving. On the outside, the Temple looked neglected. On the inside, the floors and walls shone white as if the place had been newly erected. Straight across from the entrance, on the backside of the Temple, another door with no handles stood. Above the door, a symbol shone brightly: it was the Triforce.

"This, Zukto, is The Temple of Time or the Temple of Light; both names tend to get used interchangeably. Here, before the door, is the inscription that reveals how to open the huge, stone wall. That, behind the inscription, is The Door of Time… and beyond the door…" Zelda paused.

"Is the Master Sword: the sword of Evil's Bane. The Legendary Sword that helped The Hero of Time defeat The Great King of Evil." Kyoshiro finished.

"Correct. So you have studied Hylian lore?" Zelda asked, slightly impressed.

"Yeah, well, a bit…" Kyoshiro shrugged.

"So, Zukto, what do you know about this place?" The Princess turned to him.

"Um, besides what you just said… not much."

"Listen carefully. This sacred Temple houses the Triforce... you know what that is, right?"

"Oh sure, I know. The Great King of Evil covets it, doesn't he?"

"Yes. Thankfully each time he has tried to acquire it, the Hero of Time was able to stop him. None of us really understand what the "threat" this time is, but if the Hero of Time is not the one the Goddesses want… then I question what role the Triforce plays in all of this."

"So… why are we talking about the Triforce then?"

"The Triforce means everything to our Kingdom. It was a gift, per se, from the three Goddesses. It can grant wishes according to the legends."

"I wish I knew where to find Goddess Din…" Zukto muttered under his breath.

"Luckily for you, that desire can be fulfilled without wasting the Triforce's power. Come, stand before the inscription. Now, focus very carefully on what you want to see." Zelda instructed. Zukto did as he was told; he closed his eyes and tried to conjure up a clear image in his mind of where he wanted to be. Suddenly, a low rumble was heard nearby.

"Look, you have opened a new pathway for us. Come." Zelda moved to a corner of the Temple, and pushed on a part of the wall: she went right through it. Kyoshiro and Zukto glanced at each other worriedly, but ran after her.

Zukto was overcome with a sense of déjà vu: he was here before.


	4. The Adventurers Reach a New Land

When Zukto pushed his way through the wall in the Temple of Time after Azera, he found himself standing in a long hallway: the same hallway he ran through before he met with the Goddess.

 _This is definitely the place, but… strange… how did that woman know where to bring me…?_

Zukto felt uneasy, but he needed to catch up to Azera. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw three women, Goddess Din among them, standing next to one another. They appeared to be in a conversation with someone; he figured it was Azera but could not see who. He held back, to listen to their conversation.

"… I'm sorry, but I can't do anything to fix that…" The shortest woman said apologetically. Her hair was green, which struck Zukto as really odd.

"It looks horrid. Who did you say did that to you?" Goddess Din asked.

"What do you mean, who did it to me? I was born with it." Azera replied, a little impatiently, but her response was too quiet for Zukto to hear. He remembered reading somewhere that Hylians had long, pointed ears, and that their hearing was impressive. Zukto found himself wishing he were Hylian.

"...Be that as it may," A woman with blue hair started. She did not believe Zelda, but figured that there was a reason for why she claimed what she did. "if I may ask though, what happened after Impa told you where to find Ganondorf?" She inquired.

"Unfortunately, I was not really prepared to fight him. He very easily held off my attacks, and I did suffer some injuries."

"You are so lucky you are still alive… what if he had just finished you off right then?" The blue-haired woman muttered. This was just as weird as green hair.

 _She's been in situations where she could have died…? What the hell has she been doing?_

"Would it bother you if I said that he will not? This was no accident. He planned it to turn out like this; I have this feeling." Azera explained, though admitting this thought out loud made her nervous. Just what was his end game, anyway?

"… Well, we cannot do anything since we are in the dark relatively speaking… I will look into the matter and let you know what I find." The blue-haired woman offered.

"Thank you. If it is you, I have no doubt we will figure it out."

"I suggest that we stop the chit-chat for now because we have an eavesdropper." Goddess Din announced.

Zukto stepped out into view, slightly embarrassed.

"S-sorry…"

"You did not hear anything important, anyway. No matter." Azera scoffed. She was relieved that thus far she had been able to hide her face from them. Surely, if they saw her they would think the same way as that thief and guard from before... to that end, her best course of action was to continue to hide her identity from them. After all, by withholding the knowledge of her identity from them, it allowed her to retain the upper hand. As long as she remained in control, then…

Zukto looked over at her; she was still hiding underneath her cloak. He briefly wondered how she could stand to be so covered up without getting overheated.

"Zukto, this is Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore. I trust you have at least heard about them?"

"Y-yes. I have already met Goddess Din." Zukto bowed, looking over at the other two women.

"Hm… decent manners on this one." Nayru mused, folding her arms under her breasts. She was less voluptuous than Din, but just as beautiful. Her frame was very small and elegant, and covered with an equally elegant, yet modest, dark blue dress. Her magnificent blue hair was just as long as Din's, though it appeared to be a bit wavy.

"They make a good pair!" Farore proudly declared. Everyone turned to look at the smallest, child-like Goddess with mixed expressions. Zelda was embarrassed, but since she was hiding her face she figured no harm done. Zukto was so taken aback he stood there with his mouth open slightly.

 _Well, for one, maybe that woman should consider taking off her stupid cloak…! Seriously, how am I supposed to work with her when I have no idea who she is? What if this is some kind of a set up? She could be anyone._

"Excuse me, Goddess Farore, this is a serious matter." Goddess Nayru spoke up.

"Sorry, but you know I'm right…"

"Anyway, where is the third one? Did you not bring him…?" Goddess Din asked, trying to bring everything back on track.

"Well, of course I did, but…" Zukto started, looking around. Suddenly there was a crash; everyone jumped in surprise.

"Who is there?!" Zelda yelled angrily, getting ready to fight.

"Man, calm down… it's just me…" Kyoshiro muttered as he squeezed back into the main room.

"… What was that noise?" She pressed him, sounding a bit angry. If it was just this guy, she figured, they were safe. But even though she knew that, her body was still full of adrenaline. It was making her feel extra anxious and irritable, knowing that she felt on edge for no reason and it was going to be hard to calm down again.

"Oh, I may have… knocked something over…"

"Excuse me, you are a guest here and I would appreciate it if you did not act like an enraged cucoo. We Goddesses do not exist to clean up after you. _THIS_ one needs to work on his manners..." Nayru scolded. Kyoshiro looked away, embarrassed, but personally he did not care what Nayru thought of him. Din was more his type.

"Anyway, we're all here Goddess Din. Now what?" Zukto asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Ah, yes. Your mission… If you would, follow me." Goddess Din made her way to the chamber with the many attached hallways. She stopped in the center and waited for the others. Zelda, Kyoshiro, and Zukto got there together, and Nayru and Farore brought up the rear.

"All of these hallways are your gateway to a weapon. I already told Zukto when I first saw him, but you two must hear this as well. Dark times have been foreseen, and I have reason to believe that you three are exactly who we need to prevent the dark times from being a permanent reality. You were not simply selected because of your training or your intellect. I watched each one of you carefully over the years to see if your character was true. You were hand-selected because you passed every single one of my tests. Now, for your job in more detail. So far, what my sisters and I have been able to determine is that your enemy calls themselves Darkness Orb. I overheard that there are thirteen of them. Unfortunately, I have seen only one of them. I will tell you his name now: Kkladekk…" Din paused, to consider her words.

Zukto's eyes momentarily widened, but he quickly returned his countenance to a more stoic one to avoid drawing attention to himself. Din quickly shot him a weird look, as she saw his face, but did not make a noticeably big deal out of it since he clearly was not ready to discuss whatever it was that came to his mind. She continued.

"I need you to defeat these thirteen, as their intentions are not good. Their aim is to plunge Hyrule into utter chaos. Luckily for Us, I think you three can put a stop to their plotting with a little help. You must travel both near and far in search of the ancient weapons and armor left behind by the Gods. I know where the first one is: you must travel to Firean to look for the Fire Scythe. They say that the Gods purged impure souls from their domain with this Scythe. To get to Firean, take this path…" Din motioned for her sisters to join her. When the three were standing together, they closed their eyes and brought their hands together as if in prayer. Shortly after, one blocked-off hallway became accessible.

"Be careful, My Champion. Every time you are successful in retrieving an item, please return here to hear any additional information We may have acquired." Din advised.

Zukto nodded, and led the way down the hallway. The three heroes vanished with a flourish of mystical light.

Zukto looked around as the landscape came into clear view. He could see why the land was called Firean; the land was barren. He suspected the vegetation had been burned away. Some patches of dirt appeared to be on fire, though the fires were insignificantly small and there was not plant life enough to allow it to spread.

"Nice place…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"I suppose we should try to find some person of authority. Without guidance, it would take forever to find the resting place of an ancient weapon." Zelda stated.

"Without guidance it would take forever to even find a town…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"If you were being observant, which I thought you were, you would have noticed the sign over there. It is bound to put us in the direction of some sort of town." Zelda said impatiently, pointing out the sign. She hurried over to it to read it.

"Wait a second. We're not in Hyrule, which means I'd be surprised if anyone here spoke Hylian. How in Din's name does she expect to be able to read that sign?" Kyoshiro wondered out loud.

 _That is a very valid point…_

"Well, let's go see what the verdict is." Zukto offered, running to catch up to Azera. As he was running, the thought again came into his mind of how Azera could stand to walk around in her garb. The heat was even more so a problem here in Firean than back in Hyrule.

 _What if she's not Hylian? Or human? But what the heck is she then…? I need to stop worrying about it. It's not helping us to complete our job any faster._

"Took you long enough. The sign says if we head east, we will reach Fire Valley. It also says there are a couple of small towns in that direction. Maybe they will have some information." Zelda explained to Zukto.

Keeping in mind what Kyoshiro said, Zukto glanced at the sign. Kyoshiro was right; the sign was not written in Hylian. Zukto was torn about what to do; he could question his teammate on why she knew how to read in more than just Hylian and make her impatient or angry, or he could appease her but drive himself crazy with more questions. He decided to internalize the question for now; maybe he could discover the answer later.

"Kyoshiro, hurry up or we'll leave you behind!" Zukto called.

"Heh, like I'd let you! You aren't getting all the glory for yourself!" Kyoshiro answered, flashing an eager grin.

After several hours of walking, the trio reached Fire Valley. At least, that is what Zelda told them. There was a large sign that read "Fire Valley," but Zelda was the only one who could read it. Kyoshiro was also put off at her ability to read the foreign text.

 _What is she, some kinda bookworm? Hm, now that I think about it, none of us know what the other is capable of. We've only walked and talked. There hasn't been any action! That's what's been missing! I hope we can battle some monsters soon._

"Which village do we want to go to? We can go to Volcano Base, Seashore, or Mountain Trail." Zelda inquired.

"I vote for Seashore." Kyoshiro piped up.

"No, we can't go there. Seashore communities spend all of their time fishing, trading, and shipping. I doubt we will find anyone who'll have any idea where an ancient weapon lies. I think we need to go to Volcano Base." Zukto explained.

"Excellent, I was thinking the same thing." Zelda agreed. Kyoshiro scoffed.

"Luckily, Volcano Base is the closest village. This way." Zelda again took the lead.

Kyoshiro followed, sulking. He was getting tired of relying on a woman for navigation. When he did bounty hunting work by himself, he never needed anyone else. Granted, he only did work in Hyrule and therefore language barriers were nearly non-existent; regardless, it was still getting on his nerves that a woman was playing such a prominent role in their adventure while he was reduced to playing a bit part.

When they reached town, Zelda approached the first person she saw. It was an elderly man. Zukto and Kyoshiro followed, slowly. They were not sure what to expect from a people who did not seem to know Hylian. When they caught up to her, Zelda was talking to the man in a language neither of them understood! After a few moments, she returned to them.

"Alright, the old man told me that we need to head to the biggest hut in this village. The Village Leader will be there, and I think he has the information we need."

"… You can read AND speak their language?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Sure I can. There are books in libraries about this language. The locals call it 'Fire Tongue.'"

Kyoshiro and Zukto turned to look at each other, eyebrows raised. Kyoshiro had never even set foot in a formal library before, and though Zukto had seen a few libraries in his time most of them were back in his homeland. His Master had a small collection of books as well, but naturally Nabooru's resources were limited.

"… Where have you been to have access to a library with language books?" Zukto asked. Zelda froze momentarily, as she realized she may have given them too much information.

 _Shit! I forgot that Father's library is not accessible to commoners. Even though I slipped up about that, I just need to claim I have special permission to access the Royal Library._

"You know, the Royal Library at the Palace…" She muttered. Zukto looked suspiciously at her, before he suddenly remembered that when he saw her at the Palace, the guard told him she was a special guest of the Royal Family. She could not have only been a special guest that one time he saw her, though. Perhaps she was permanently a special guest. He wanted more answers, but that was enough for him for the time being.

"Anyway, come on. It is not getting any lighter. I really think we should at least find the Temple before nightfall." Zelda quickly said, changing the subject. She led the way to the Village Leader's hut.

 _Just keep them focused on our mission. We have plenty of stuff to focus on, after all. The longer I keep them in the dark, the better... after all, no one else knows about me._

When they reached the hut, Zelda instructed Zukto and Kyoshiro not to say anything while inside, not to touch anything, or look at any one. She explained that the less conflict they got into the better. With that, she led the way inside. When she approached the Village Leader, she got down on her knees and lowered her body to the ground. At least that is what it looked like; it was hard to tell because of what she was wearing. The village leader said something, and Zelda sat upright. They began to have a discussion. Eventually, the Leader said something and motioned at Zelda. It was a stretch, because Zukto had no idea what they were saying, but he had a feeling that the Leader was concerned about Azera hiding her face; he would be, at least. Zelda responded, and for some reason Zukto swore he heard some form of the word "cursed" come from her. A while longer, and Zelda came back to Zukto and Kyoshiro. She motioned for them to follow her out of the hut.

"So, what'd he say?" Zukto eagerly asked.

"He has heard of the Scythe, and says we need to climb the mountain to find the Temple where it is being guarded."

"… So what's the curse?" Zukto added casually. Zelda froze in her tracks.

 _Wait, a curse? What is he talking about? I did not say anything like that. And he can't speak this language anyway. How did he...? Did I momentarily black out during that conversation...?_ Zelda had to suddenly hold her breath because she was feeling panicked. Why was he talking about something she was not aware of? She tried to think back on the conversation she just had, but there did seem to be a brief window of time that she had no recollection of.

"The Temple; the Temple is cursed. So it will be very dangerous." Zelda lied, not wanting to admit that she had no idea what he was talking about. She absolutely had to figure out how or why part of her memory of the conversation was missing.

… _She's lying. She is the one who said cursed. She wouldn't have known the dungeon was cursed unless someone told her… and no one did… whatever that cursed business is… it's something more personal._

"You're right; I should have figured that from the start. We're never going to be able to simply walk in and grab what we need." Zukto responded, choosing to pretend that her answer was satisfactory.

"Anyway, what do you want to do? Perhaps we should stay the night here and then head to the Temple in the morning. There is a small inn here. They will no doubt appreciate the business and then we can be properly rested for the hard work ahead of us." She suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea. Lead the way." Zukto said. He certainly did not have a better idea.

 _Maybe we can use this as an opportunity to get to know one another?_ Zukto was admittedly eager to get to know more about his new partners.

When they got to the Inn, Zelda approached the man behind a wooden counter. Everything in the village was made of wood or rock; they seemed to live off the land. Zelda explained to the man that she was interested in two rooms; one for her, and one for her partners. She also asked about their currency. The man looked confused. He explained that the Village had no use for "money" since none of them ever left. They exchanged goods with one another. Zelda told him she would be back to pay for the rooms.

"Alright, let us go hunting. The owner here says they do not take "money" because no one has any. They just barter for goods and services with other goods and or services. I figure, between the three of us, we can bring back a decent-sized animal for them." Zelda explained.

"Sure, we can manage that. I've got long-range with my bow and arrows, Kyoshiro has close-quarters with his sword, and…" Zukto paused, because he had no idea what their female companion offered in terms of combat abilities.

"Come. I asked where the nearest river was. We will start there." Zelda hurried up the mountain pass out of the village, not even checking to see if Zukto and Kyoshiro would follow her. Zukto started to, but he stopped when he noticed Kyoshiro had not moved.

"What's the hold up?"

"… All we have to do is hunt for stuff, right? You follow her if you really want to, but I don't need a woman's help to get food." With that, Kyoshiro stormed off.

… _Good luck when you don't know the layout of the land, what types of animals are native here, or what their behaviors are…_ Zukto thought, sighing. So far, his newest companion was an invaluable ally thanks to her extensive knowledge; Zukto had a feeling he would be safest to follow her. Even if it was not normal for a woman to lead a hunt, at least by Hylian standards, Zukto would stick with whomever would keep him alive the longest.

"… So you finally decided to show up?" Zelda called over her shoulder when she noticed Zukto slowly closing the gap between them. She stopped, not wanting to be rude.

"It was Kyoshiro, sorry. He's…" Zukto paused when he caught up to her.

"Awfully prideful? I noticed. Pay him no mind. Maybe he will learn a lesson after this is done."

 _Hmph... I suppose he and I really are no different in that regard._ Zelda thought to herself, annoyed by the irony.

"You're… oddly tolerant. You know he's being disrespectful towards you just because you're a woman."

"When you are a woman, you get used to it." Was all Zelda said, as she continued climbing up the mountain.

 _After all... it could be worse. If they ever see my face... would they call me a monster, too? It is better that I am treated this way as a woman... because even if women are lowly, surely they are held in better regard than a monster._ She was determined to keep her façade around them, but she could not help but feel miserable at the prospect of people hating her for what she looked like.

 _She's awfully abrupt. I can't get any kind of a read on her…_

"Hey, excuse me, Azera… do you mind… telling me about yourself?" Zukto suddenly requested. A faint hint of a smile made its way onto Zelda's face, but Zukto could not see it.

 _Yes, of course he is curious. People are naturally drawn to the unknown, after all. Curiosity is a powerful force that can overpower even the most cautious of men._

"Why should I? I do not recall you telling me anything about yourself." She answered, matter-of-factly.

"You're right. I haven't. Well, what do you want to know?"

"Why did you lie about being from Gerudo Valley?"

"Oh, I did not lie about that." As soon as he replied, Zelda turned sharply to face him. Peering into the darkness of her hood made Zukto feel uneasy.

"Hear me out. I never said I was _born_ in Gerudo Valley. I'm sure you know about it better than I: the curse of the Gerudo Tribe. I was born elsewhere, but for the last several years I have been training in Gerudo Valley."

"That is an interesting place to train. Is there any reason you picked that place specifically?"

"The Sage of Spirit deemed me worthy." Zukto purposely left out the part about him being transported to the Gerudo Desert without his knowledge or consent, as no sane person would immediately believe such an incredible story. He did want to be honest, but he was worried that his new partners would not so easily accept the truth of his arrival in their homeland.

"I see. Well, you must be honored." Was all Zelda said.

"I guess being trained by a Sage is no big deal to you? Who are you?" Zukto demanded.

"… I too have been trained by a Sage." Zelda responded after a while. They had yet to see how they handled themselves in a fight, but at least in terms of their training Zelda had to admit that Zukto very well could be her equal.

"Who?!" Zukto seemed less impatient with her now, and more interested. But Zelda chose to say nothing else; she ran further up the path instead. Part of her did enjoy humoring this strange person with little tidbits about herself, but she had to maintain some level of secrecy. After all, no one besides her family, servants, and Master Impa knew who she was. Her identity had to be her best-kept secret.

"Wait!" Zukto called out to her, worried about getting lost and worried that she would stop traveling with them. He caught up to her faster than he anticipated; he practically crashed into her because she stopped unexpectedly and threw up an arm, completely shrouded in the sleeves of her cloak, to stop him from going further. He almost opened his mouth to protest, but he heard a slight "Shh!" come from his partner. Zukto looked ahead to where Zelda's gaze was transfixed.

"… What in Farore's name is that thing?"


	5. A Fight with Mythical Creatures

"… That is a dragon. Zukto, do not be rash. Those things are dangerous."

"A dragon? What the hell is a dragon? What does it do?"

"Listen very carefully. That being, that dragon, is somewhat related to Lizalfos and Dinolfos, but it is much more dangerous. Dinolfos normally wear armor that they find or make themselves, but dragons have _natural_ armor. Their hides are very hard to damage or penetrate. Dinolfos breathe fire; so do these beasts. Finally, if you take a look above the arms of that dragon… it has wings. It can fly." Zelda explained, barely whispering.

Zukto looked at her, mortified.

"Naturally tough armor, they fly, they breathe fire... how are we supposed to beat it?!"

"I will preface my statement by saying that I have never battled with one before. I know you practiced archery; I just hope you are a good shot. I have read that dragons normally have a weak spot… if we can find this dragon's weak spot, then I think we have a decent shot at taking it down."

"… Okay. Just… tell me what to do."

"Do not pull out your bow and arrows yet. It still has not noticed us, and we need to take advantage of that fact. Just… wait here." Zelda took the time to observe their surroundings. The dragon appeared to be lying down next to the river; nearby was a massive tree. Zelda held back a smile.

 _Nature has prepared the perfect scenario for me_ … She mused silently.

"Do not make a sound." Zelda warned, just before disappearing magically before Zukto's eyes. He was startled, as she had not really used her magic around them yet.

 _What in Hyrule's name was that?! It was as if… she was swallowed by the shadows… Wait a second…_

Zukto was very interested to mull over his partner's identity, but was also desperate to figure out what she was up to. He decided to keep an eye on the dragon, since he had no idea where she went. The dragon still was not moving.

Zelda popped back into sight in the shadow of the large tree, though Zukto was not watching the tree.

 _This could not have been more perfect._

Zelda focused her powers, and contorted her shadow. She reached out her arms, and her arms' shadows grew much longer than they naturally would be. The shadows made contact with the shadow of the dragon. Finally, she locked her fingers together.

Suddenly the dragon reared up on its two back legs, shot a column of fire into the air, and lashed out at the air with its claws. Zukto flinched, and found a tree to hide behind. The dragon reacted so suddenly that it startled him.

 _What the heck is going on…?_ He looked around the dragon, to try and find Zelda. Then he saw her, with her arms outstretched towards the dragon.

… _It's like she's controlling the strings of a puppet… wait, that's it!_

"Zukto, do not just stand there like an idiot! I can only hold on for so long!" Zelda called out to him. Zukto felt slightly embarrassed for losing focus during a fight, but her powers were incredibly intriguing. Zukto crept closer to the dragon, careful to avoid the dragon's large tail as it thrashed about. He noticed that besides its limbs, tail, and neck flailing about, the dragon could not move.

 _She must be preventing the thing from walking. Ugh, but I don't notice anything strange…_

"Azera, I can't see anything! Make it roll onto its back!" Zukto yelled.

"Give me a second!" She yelled back, straining against the weight of the beast. It was incredibly tiring to try and control something that was several times her size. She swung her arms toward the ground, and the dragon collapsed to the ground in turn; its belly was exposed to Zukto. The dragon started thrashing even more violently, snarling viciously. Zukto noticed something shining on one of the dragon's back legs, but his angle of sight was not good enough. He moved a bit closer.

"I see it!" He called. There was a peculiar gem on the inner thigh of the dragon.

 _That must be it._

"Please hold on a little longer!" Zukto called, pulling his bow off his shoulder sling. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver, and then prepared to nock the arrow. When he did, he began to aim at the jewel. But the dragon was out of control, even with Azera holding it down. She was just barely able to keep it grounded. Zukto suddenly had an idea.

"Let him go!"

"WHAT?! Are you insane?!"

"Just do it! I know you can't keep restraining it for much longer anyway!"

Reluctantly, Zelda followed his instructions. Noticing it was free to move, the dragon immediately rose up into the air with a single flap of its mighty wings. It turned toward Zukto, seeing that he had a weapon drawn.

"Zukto! RUN! Get out of here!" Zelda called, panicked.

 _Dammit, I cannot let him get hurt here! After all, it sounds like the Goddesses sought him out first. He is somehow important to us._

"We're heroes! We don't back down from challenges!" Zukto yelled, determined. Zelda felt like punching him, but knew that she was partly to blame for their current situation.

… _Wait! I can still help…!_

The dragon, still fixated on Zukto, inhaled deeply. Zukto had been trying to get his arrow into position up until this point, until he noticed the dragon's behavior.

 _Crap, it's going to breathe fire, isn't it? I don't think I can avoid it, especially if it flies closer…!_ Zukto thought, ready to try anyway. He tensed his body, ready to roll out of the trajectory of the flame as soon as the dragon shot it…

Just as the dragon let loose a stream of fire, and Zukto was about to roll away from the oncoming attack, he felt a strange power around him. A bubble popped up around him, and diverted the flames! He looked around, completely surprised. Azera was next to him, holding her arms up again. She had erected a magical shield to keep them safe.

"Quit stalling! Kill it!" Zelda yelled as she dispersed the magical shield.

"Right!" Zukto quickly realigned his arrow, and shot at the confused dragon. The dragon snarled, likely in pain, but it appeared to still be alive. It dropped back down to the ground with a crash.

"I think I've injured it…" Zukto muttered.

"Great, but injuring it is not good enough. In fact, now it is even more dangerous to leave this thing here. What if it attacks the village?"

"I-I know… I just need to hit it again. Can you lend me your power one more time? I need you to expose his belly again."

"… I will try. But you will likely only have seconds to shoot it. Be ready." Zelda raised her arms again, and curled her fingers as if trying to grab something. The dragon tried to take a step towards Zelda and Zukto, but felt a force pulling it backwards. It could not take a step forward. In frustration, it reared again.

"Zukto, NOW!" Zelda cried. Zukto quickly readjusted his aim and let the arrow fly. Zelda strained herself to hold on just moments longer…

The dragon let out a terrible screech, and felt limp in Zelda's hold. She let go, and the body fell like a rock to the ground: it was dead. Zelda fell to her knees, exhausted. Her breathing picked up, but she was trying to hide how tired she was after the fight. Zukto was about to kneel to her level to see what he could do for her, but he heard approaching footsteps. Instead, he took up a defensive stance in front of Zelda.

"Please move, Zukto." She asked. He did, nervously. The group of people stopped a ways from Zelda and Zukto, but one person walked closer still. It was the Village Leader. Zelda began to talk in 'Fire Tongue.' The Village Leader's face went from grave to ecstatic in mere moments. The Leader turned to his people, excitedly repeated something, and the entire group rushed to Zelda and Zukto. Many hands patted their backs, and several voices simultaneously chattered, but Zukto could not understand a word of it.

"Now I understand. You are the hero I read about." The Leader suddenly said, in clear Hylian. The other villagers stopped their excited clamoring to allow the pair to hear their leader.

"So you have always been able to…?" Zelda started.

"How often do you tell secrets to total strangers?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Zelda smiled in spite of herself, recognizing the significance of what he said.

"Well, um, what did you say about a hero? Can you explain that to us, Sir?" Zukto asked.

"Right. Well, I could not always speak Hylian. Used to have no clue it existed. But when I was reading some ancient texts written by our ancestors, I kept reading something peculiar. I read that… a faceless Hylian hero would save this village. As soon as I accepted that my ancestors were predicting a very important encounter, I taught myself to speak Hylian so that I may speak with our savior."

"What if we are not the heroes your ancestors envisioned?" Zelda pointed out.

"You are." The Village Leader smiled knowingly. Zukto glanced at Zelda, but could not tell if she was glancing back at him since her face was still hidden.

"Two things. You are faceless, my Heroine. The legends always said that a hero without a face would appear. You're faceless to me because I have never seen it before. Next, and probably most importantly, you took down a dragon. These creatures are not to be trifled with, even if you are the most experienced fighter. You two took one out, and no one even asked you to. I can see that you two are virtuous and strong. Please, stay with us in the village tonight. Don't worry about payment for the food you eat or the rooms you stay in. You did my village such a valuable service that I am unsure of my ability to properly repay you."

"Please do not go out of your way on our account."

"Will you deny my hospitality, then?" The Leader asked.

"No, of course not. But your village is…" Zelda started, slightly embarrassed.

"Do not worry about my village. We've been trying to bring that dragon down ourselves but could not figure out how to do it. I want to host a party in your honor. Come." The Leader said a few words to his townspeople and headed back down the mountain. The women followed him, chatting excitedly. The men went to the dragon, likely to check it for any salvageable materials.

"Well, let us go. No point in staying here…" Zelda muttered, standing slowly. She was still a bit tired.

"Need help down the mountain?"

"No." She snapped. She quickly regretted it, however.

"I-I am sorry. I am… tired…" She muttered as she went back down the mountain. Zukto gave her some space, but remained behind her. He wanted to make sure she made it down without hurting herself.

"There's no way Zukto and that woman are doing better than I am." Kyoshiro mused as he put down another fish next to him. He had caught ten really fat fish so far.

 _When should I stop…? Well, if I'm only giving this to the Inn Keeper, I don't need much more than this. I ain't fishing for the whole village, after all…_ Kyoshiro thought, setting his pole down and considering his handiwork.

Suddenly, Kyoshiro heard irregular splashes. He checked the water, but did not notice anything. He turned his back to the body of water, preparing to drag the fish back to town, but he heard more noise. He turned back around and thought he heard a yell, but was not sure. He stood there for another moment, contemplating what to do. Before he could make up his mind, someone clearly shouted nearby in 'Fire Tongue.' It was a woman. She frantically yelled as she looked towards the water. She started pointing, too. Some of the local men shook their head at her, or said something to her that was incomprehensible to Kyoshiro.

He decided to look where the woman was pointing. It did not take too long to find what was causing the noise he originally heard: a small child was splashing around. Kyoshiro realized that this child needed help; without saying anything, he thrust down his sheathed sword and removed a lot of his clothes. He dove into the water, and swam as fast as he could to reach the child. The villagers still on land started chatting excitedly after watching Kyoshiro rush to the child's aid. Kyoshiro had incredibly muscular arms, and they helped propel him through the water. In no time, he reached the child.

"Kid, you're going to be okay. Climb on!" Kyoshiro yelled. The kid, a little girl, stared at him briefly because she did not understand what he was saying. But she _did_ understand that he could swim her to safety. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and held on as tight as she could. Not wanting to risk losing her, Kyoshiro swam to shore much more slowly than when he swam out to meet the child. When they got on land, Kyoshiro bent down and rested his hands on his knees. He was panting a little. The woman who was yelling earlier, Kyoshiro assumed that it was the girl's mother, ran up to Kyoshiro and started excitedly talking in her native language. Kyoshiro did not say anything in response, knowing that she could not understand him. He reached back to grab the little girl from his shoulders, and gently passed the child to her mother. The mother squeezed the child and cried. Kyoshiro gently placed a hand on the woman's shoulder because he did not know what else to do. She smiled at him, and Kyoshiro could not help but smile back. Then he shivered a bit. He just remembered that he was not wearing most of his clothes, he was soaking wet, and that night was approaching. He trudged back to his stuff and looked at it.

"I'm soaked through. I don't want to put this stuff back on…" He muttered. Just then, someone tapped his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed a man. The man looked a little feeble; due to age, an injury, or failing health, Kyoshiro was not sure. The man handed Kyoshiro a big piece of cloth. Kyoshiro assumed that it was a towel, and that the man wanted Kyoshiro to be able to dry off.

"Thanks." Kyoshiro said, forgetting about the language barrier. The man did not understand Kyoshiro naturally, but smiled when Kyoshiro took the towel and started rubbing himself down. The man then collected Kyoshiro's things, and motioned for Kyoshiro to follow him. Kyoshiro thought about it, and guessed that this man must be the father of the girl he saved.

 _Hey, now that I think about it… I gathered food to pay the inn keeper, I did it without a woman's help, and I saved a little girl! I'm a hero! I can't wait to see their smug faces change when I tell them about what I did without them._

The feeble man led Kyoshiro back to the village, where the preparations for the party were already in full swing.

"Hey now! Being a hero is awesome! I save a little girl, and look at what they're doing for me!" Kyoshiro said triumphantly. Nothing could ruin his mood… nothing, except…

"Wow, I was almost starting to think that we'd have to enjoy the party without you." Zukto teased as he noticed Kyoshiro approaching. Kyoshiro looked at him, puzzled.

"How could you enjoy the party without me? After all, it's because…" Kyoshiro started.

"We slayed a dragon that had been terrorizing these people; the party is for Zukto and I." Zelda stated, cutting Kyoshiro off. Kyoshiro's eyes widened.

"Wait a second. Did you just say… a dragon?"

"Yes. Now get your clothes back on. Or do you plan on making everyone in the immediate area… intimately aware with you?" Zelda asked, turning away from him. She also rolled her eyes, but no one could see that.

"Er, yeah… but wait a second. You have no idea what I was doing before I showed up! I rescued a drowning kid!" Kyoshiro protested as he hurriedly started pulling clothes back on.

"Wow, you saved a kid? I'm actually a little surprised to hear it." Zukto stated, laughing a bit.

"Can it. What would you have done?" Kyoshiro snapped in response. Suddenly, the village elder returned to the trio. Zelda again began conversing in 'Fire Tongue,' likely to find out what he wanted. She nodded her head to something he said and fell silent.

"Excuse me sir, the wet one. I have heard from one of the families in my village that you saved a small girl from drowning. We are beyond being in your debt for your selflessness. Between the acts of you three heroes… I do not think that my village can do anything to adequately repay you. But know that all three of you are welcome in this village and that our resources and facilities are yours to command should the need arise. Please, enjoy yourselves tonight. And I wish you luck on your journey. I have full confidence that you have what it takes to fulfill your goals. Our worlds are safe if they are in your hands." With that, the elder bowed deeply. Zelda returned the gesture.

Zukto and Kyoshiro watched for a moment, before awkwardly returning the bow. The elder, looking satisfied, left them.

Realization suddenly dawned on Kyoshiro's face after the elder walked away.

"H-hey! That guy just spoke our language plain as day!" He sounded indignant.

"Studying foreign languages is a pretty useful skill, after all." Zukto responded. He was definitely familiar with the struggle of learning someone else's language, although his situation had been a lot more dire than the elder's.

"Well, I honestly did not expect people to get this excited about us so soon. I assumed that we would have to jump through hurdles to even reach the temples…" Zelda muttered, changing the subject.

 _One might almost worry that it has been too easy._

"Yeah, no kidding. Though really, this is all thanks to you. I couldn't… I couldn't have beat that dragon without you." Zukto stated, feeling genuine appreciation for their mysterious team member.

Zelda smiled slightly, though no one could tell.

"As I recall, you are the one who said you needed me… so I guess it is to be expected." Zelda answered, coolly.

Zukto raised an eyebrow slightly, but had a feeling that she was playing around. Finally, he was getting the sense that she was more than just a walking encyclopedia.

"Okay, enough with the games. Who are you? Are you a Sheikah?" Zukto suddenly grew serious. Zelda was taken aback for a moment, but when she thought about it further she could not really blame Zukto for being frustrated. She paused before speaking, trying to decide what the best course of action was. Of course, telling them the truth was not something she was prepared to do. It would be better to go along with their game for the time being. After all, it did not seem that they were on the right track. By continuing to deceive them, she could remain in control.

"… What led you to the conclusion that I am a member of a dying race of people?"

"Well… before I met you, I asked some palace guards about you. They told me that you were a special guest of the Royal Family. Next, some guards had asked me if I had seen a Hylian with red eyes. I've never seen your eyes before, so maybe they aren't red, but Kyoshiro here told me something interesting. He told me that it's impossible for Hylians to have red eyes. He said that only Sheikah have red eyes. Then, you… you told me that you trained under an honorable Sage. I've seen your powers at work… you clearly know the magic passed down by the Sage of Shadow. As for the special guest comment I made earlier… I now know, thanks to Kyoshiro here, that the Sheikah are closely linked to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Therefore… the only reasonable conclusion here is that you are Sheikah yourself." Zukto explained. Kyoshiro nodded vigorously to show his support for Zukto's logic, and of course, to prove his involvement with discovering Zelda's identity. While Zelda admitted to herself that Zukto's detective work was not too bad, he was naturally way off base.

"… Yes. I suppose I could not cover up my tracks forever. You found me out. My name actually is not Azera. I assumed that name to protect my true identity. We, the Sheikah, have many enemies. That is why my people are nearly gone. But I am a little impressed that you remembered all of those random, and seemingly insignificant, pieces of my identity."

"I won't ask you for your true identity. I figure you'll tell us when you're ready. And I guess I was a little pushy about who you were, but…"

"No offense taken. You were right to wonder. But now that we are in this for the long haul, I hope I can trust you two to keep my identity a secret. I agreed to accompany you, Zukto, because I had a feeling that what you were told to do is a matter of great importance. Since this mission will ensure the stability of the Royal Family and Hyrule's peace, I felt that I was bound to help you. My sole purpose is to defend the Royal Family: please keep that in mind." Part of her felt a little guilty because of how easily she lied to them, but she had to remind herself that the deception was necessary.

Speaking of deception, though... something seemed off about Zukto to her. There were certain things about their culture that most people knew about, but it almost seemed as if Zukto was ignorant about some of it. Based on what he just said, Kyoshiro did most of the work. To add to the list of reasons why she suspected that Zukto was hiding something from them, he still had not cleared up a huge discrepancy about his place of birth. He had admitted that he was not born in Gerudo Valley, which she never would have believed anyway, but that still left the question of where indeed he came from.

Zelda had not failed to notice that Zukto's ears were not like Hylian ears: they did in fact resemble the ears of the Gerudo, being rounded instead of pointed like Hylian ears, but if he was not a Gerudo then his identity was hard to discern. Did he possibly have parents of mixed blood?

"… Can we see what you look like?" Kyoshiro suddenly blurted out. Zelda shot him a disapproving look, but he could not see it. She sighed, and abruptly left the two men by themselves.

"Way to go, Kyo." Zukto grunted. He finally felt like he had a connection with 'Azera,' but Kyo was just as rude as ever.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Kyoshiro asked. "Well, whatever. I'm getting food." He walked off, leaving Zukto by himself.

 _I am leading a colorful bunch, aren't I?_ Zukto mused. Tomorrow, the three would venture into the temple.


	6. Memories and Identities

The three heroes of the Volcano Base village in Firean had parted ways during the party. When the two men of the group were finally in the same room together, at the inn, they continued the silence that grew between them earlier. Each member of the team, Zelda included, was wrapped up in his or her own thoughts.

 _I wonder what the Firean Temple will be like… you know, since we had to fight a dragon earlier: I wonder if we'll have to fight more of them near, or even inside, the temple…_ Zukto thought. At the very least, it was comforting for him to know he was already capable of taking out the massive, winged beasts... even if he needed help to do it. But there was something else nagging at the back of his mind, something quite concerning.

 _Goddess Din very clearly said his name back when we were talking... Kkladekk. Can this really be a coincidence? We have not seen each other in so long... he just left one day, without a word... but if what Goddess Din says is true, then that means that our enemy... is my own brother. How in Nayru's name did it come to this?_

 _I am pretty okay with this so far, I guess. I'm a hero already in a new land. We got all the food we could eat last night… and the villagers are all over me. Maybe… destiny is a real thing after all? I was fated to be a hero. But not just a hero of Hyrule; I'm a hero of all lands! Now… if only that girl would stop hiding her face… maybe I should make plans to trick her into lowering her hood._ Kyoshiro started imagining what their female partner looked like. He was hoping she was not some old, ugly lady.

When she was by herself in her room, Zelda finally took her cloak off and set it aside. She stared into a small mirror that hung by itself on a wall. She peered hard at her reflection. Her red eyes looked strange to her in comparison to her pale skin. As far as she knew, no one besides Master Impa had red eyes like she did. But then again, Impa rarely ventured outside of the Temple or Kakariko Village; very few people were exposed to her Sheikah characteristics. It was because of this that Zelda had decided a while back to obscure her face. The Sheikah were merely people of legends nowadays; Zelda had a feeling that the average person would feel uncomfortable after seeing her face. Just the other day, after all, two different people had expressed the idea that she scared them. She felt frustrated, and a bit lonely. Her eyes in the mirror flashed at her. She flinched a bit.

 _I was always like this, right? My father claims that I was not born like this. But… I cannot remember… how did my other parents react when they looked at me? How did the villagers react…? Were they bothered by my eyes? The King and Queen were when I last saw them, though they did not come out and say so. I have to admit that I am too, even though I am stuck with them… that guy I stopped in the alley was right: I do look pretty terrifying..._ She lightly touched the left side of her face, around her eye, where her scar was. She traced it with a finger. The scar stung a bit.

"Who the hell am I, anyway? The King says I am the Princess of Hyrule. So I am a Hylian? But my features clearly say that I am not Hylian. Dammit! Why is it that I cannot remember? I can remember everything else… but when it comes to my own face…" Zelda sighed, and tore her gaze away from the mirror. She walked back over to where she laid her cloak, and pulled out a rock from the inside of it. It had a small string tied around it.

"Father." She whispered to the rock. The rock lit up suddenly.

"Zelda? Is that my daughter?" A voice responded.

"Yes, Father. It is Princess Zelda."

"Now, 'Princess Zelda,' do you mind answering some questions?" The voice asked.

"Go ahead."

"How old is your sister?"

"She is eight."

"Where were you raised?"

"Kakariko Village, at the foot of Death Mountain."

"Who is your Master?"

"I train with Master Impa."

"Alright, I figure that I am actually talking to my daughter. I am sorry; I had to make sure that it was you who had possession of this Gossip Stone."

"I understand, Father. I do not need anything by the way; I only contacted you to let you know where I am. I am in Firean."

"… Why are you there? And how did you get there?"

"I came into contact with the Goddesses. I was told that I am a vital member of a team that is working on sparing Hyrule and our sister worlds from a great evil. What we are doing is serious. So do not send guards out to look for me. Unless your guards know how to get to Firean, and can help battle some dragons, they will just be in our way."

"… I do not want to ignore this, but I can see that I have no choice but to play along. You are ordered to come straight back to the Palace when you finish your business in Firean. Give me a full report upon your return. Also, I will need to thank the other members of your group properly. Be safe, my daughter." With that, the stone lost its enchanted glow.

"Sure. Not like you actually care about me anyway. But it would be a shame if the heir to the Hylian throne was suddenly offed…" Zelda sighed as she ran a hand through her long, black hair. Her hair trailed behind her as she paced around the room, deep in thought. She was not really concerned about the temple they were about to enter: she was fixated on what was to happen afterwards.

 _How can I possibly hide my identity from them if Father ordered that we report to the Palace? Can I just lie, and say that we have urgent business that prevents us from going? Ah, but the gateway to the Goddesses lies in Castle Town… a guard would notice me for sure. Dammit. I was hoping to keep my identity a secret until a more opportune time. I am still not sure how this might affect our efforts… the most ideal situation, I suppose, would be if I could get Father to speak to them without revealing my identity at all._

Suddenly, Zelda was snapped from her thoughts when she heard a knock at her door.

 _Ah, dammit. What is so important that it cannot wait until tomorrow?_ Zelda thought, getting annoyed at the intrusion.

"Just a moment!" Zelda declared, as she scrambled to put on her full-body cloak. After her face was hidden, she opened the door.

"Yes?" She was a little surprised to see Zukto standing there.

"S-sorry for bothering you all of a sudden. I can't sleep, and was hoping we might be able to talk."

"What about?"

"Just… about stuff in general." Zukto muttered. Zelda was pretty sure he was hoping for something specific, but did not want to come right out and say what it was; she could only assume that he was nervous about what her reaction might be.

"Okay, so I shall start. You spent a lot of time in Gerudo Desert, from what I have gathered. Do you know who Ganondorf is?" Zukto looked a bit surprised at her question. Of course he did, but why would this woman care about that?

"Yes, I do. Ganondorf is a man of great power. The legends call him The Great King of Evil, I guess. He is the only man born to the Gerudo woman in about one hundred years, due to an ancient curse. By the laws of the Gerudo, Ganondorf is the leader of the Gerudo tribe. Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, my Master, is supposedly Ganondorf's right-hand woman. But she… doesn't much care for how he lies, steals, and hurts people. Ganondorf takes advantage of those weaker than him because he possesses incredible magic. That's exactly what Nabooru despises about him." Zelda listened intently to Zukto's explanation.

 _Well, he did not quite say anything I have not already read from the ancient texts. My question remains unanswered; why did he attack…_

"Is something wrong?" Zukto felt like he was groping in the dark when he interacted with this woman. He could not see her face, or observe any kind of body language; the only indication of her mood that he could observe was the tone of her voice.

"...Did you ever hear about Ganondorf spending time in Kakariko Village?" She asked quietly.

"Kakariko Village... Kakariko Village... You know, I think in passing Master Nabooru may have mentioned that he caused trouble there, but I never really cared to find out what she meant by 'trouble.' At any rate, he does not regularly go there to my knowledge. The way she talked about it, it was a one-time thing."

 _Ganondorf 'caused trouble' in Kakariko, so they say. What he did can be so casually summed up?_ Zelda clenched one of her fists angrily, her mind racing a mile a minute. If 'trouble' was all he got into back then, then she surely would be within her rights to cause him some 'trouble' in return.

"D-Did something happen?" Zukto asked nervously, noticing the atmosphere getting tense.

"No. Talking to you has been of help to me. I was told by the Royal Family that Ganondorf is increasing his activity as of late. We do not know his intentions, but I suppose it might be related to the Triforce. Or perhaps he wants to usurp the throne from His Majesty Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II. No matter what though, it is my job to make sure that Ganondorf is unsuccessful in any endeavors that might negatively impact Hyrule. You have my word that I will continue to lend you my power in your efforts. I only ask that you allow me to conduct my own investigations into other official business that may come up in between our assignments." Zelda returned to her matter-of-fact disposition. This façade, pretending to be a servant of the Royal Family, felt so natural to her.

"Of course I will allow that: I owe you, after all. I realize that I am asking a lot. As for Ganondorf… he seems to be a threat to everyone, not just the Royal Family. So if we should cross paths with Ganondorf during our journey, I will not leave you to confront him on your own. You know, during my time with the Gerudo, I never saw Ganondorf once." Zukto added as an afterthought.

"If he is not there, then..." Zelda muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"No." Zelda curtly responded. Zukto was not really sure what to say after that. The atmosphere was tense and awkward again. He had a lot of questions, naturally, but he did not want to be like Kyoshiro. But did he not have a right to know about this person?

"Well, are we done then?" Zelda asked. Zukto was pretty sure that was more of a request for him to leave than anything else.

"Are you cursed?" Zukto asked. Zelda sighed; he probably would never let it go.

"My people are cursed, yes. But the Gerudo, the people you lived with, understand that very well do they not?" That answer made Zukto fall silent again. She had an uncanny ability to turn questions back onto whomever asked them.

"We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Get some rest." Zelda suggested. Zukto knew it was pointless to try and get her further involved in conversation. He nodded slightly.

"Goodnight, Azera." Zukto let himself out of the room, feeling just as lost as before. But things would be made clear before long, right?

"… Do not worry, Zukto. You will find out what you want to know soon enough." Zelda muttered, staring at the door. After a few minutes, Zelda decided that she should follow her own advice.

"No point in standing around here. I would prefer to do research, but I do not have access to anything around here… so sleep it is." She went to a small basin and splashed cold water on her face, but cringed when her scar got wet.

"Everything irritates that damn thing. It is like it has a mind of its own." She muttered tersely. Suddenly, her scar flashed as if in response. She did a double-take, but it did not flash again.

 _I am not seeing things… I refuse to believe that parts of my memory have been wiped out, along with suffering from hallucinations. I obviously do not rest enough…_ Zelda collapsed onto the lone bed in the room. She tried hard to make her brain stop racing. The more she thought, the harder it would be to sleep. But when the world around her was quiet, and when she wanted to sleep, her mind tended to do the exact opposite of what she wanted. Zelda had no idea how long it took her to finally drift into a restless sleep.

"Mom! I'm home!" A young girl ran up to a small, wooden house. She threw the front door open excitedly.

"Mom! Dad! Look at what I have!" She called. There was still no response from anyone, which was odd. She took her boots off, and her coat, and left them by the door. She walked down a small hallway that led into another, larger hallway. The second hallway either led to the bedrooms or the living room.

 _Maybe Mom's in the kitchen?_

"Mom? Dad…?" The girl entered the living room, which was the only route to the kitchen. An awful sight welcomed her there; blood splatters were all over the furniture, and her parents were sitting in a pool of their own blood on the floor. She screamed, and tears immediately fell from her eyes.

"M-mooomm? D-daadd? Wake up! You're… just asleep, right? R-right? Why… why won't you a-answer me?" The girl continued to sob.

"The scream came from here! Come on!" She heard a muffled voice from somewhere, which made her look around frantically.

"Help!" The child cried, trying to wipe the tears away. But they would not stop. She heard the door to the house open.

"I-I'm in the living room!" Her voice wavered.

"We're coming, just hold on!" Two adults came out of the entry way: a man and a woman. The man, upon surveying the grim scene, rushed to the girl's side. The woman held back, seemingly rooted to the spot due to fear. She covered her mouth with her hands and her face grew pale.

"What happened here?" The man asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"I don't know… I just came home, and…and..." She couldn't complete her sentence. The man knelt down and searched for signs of life from either adult; eventually he sighed and shook his head. He motioned to the woman to join him.

"Take their daughter away from here. She's probably in shock right now... but if she isn't, she will be. I don't think she knows anything about what happened here." The woman nodded, and gently nudged the girl to follow her.

"… My parents are dead, aren't they?" The girl finally asked after following the woman for a while. Tears were no longer pricking at her eyes, and her face was emotionless. Already the entire village knew about the murder of her parents, and the village was a scene of chaos. The woman stopped, and turned to face the child.

"… Yes. Your parents are dead."

"Nooo!" Zelda yelled, sitting straight up. With a start, she realized she had been dreaming; her forehead was covered with sweat.

"Ah, dammit all to hell. And once again I remind myself why I hate sleeping…" She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. At this point, she was adverse to the idea of going back to sleep.

"I am already tormented by those memories during the day; why the hell do I never get peace? I have to see them at night, too…" Zelda got out of bed and made her way to the basin. She washed her face, and stared at herself in the mirror again. She could tell in her reflection that she was suffering due to her insomnia, but it was so hard to sleep when you knew that you were going to relive the worst day of your life in your dreams.

"Augh… I seem to have been forgetting things lately, so can I please just forget about that day?" But Zelda knew deep down why she could not.

"Master Impa…" She muttered. "…you were the only one who could have saved me after that day." She stared at the bracers covering her arms: on the left one, where it covered the back of her hand, a single eye was printed. A red tear drop was falling from the eye.


	7. The First Ancient Temple

Zukto woke up as soon as he heard something crow like a cucco in the distance. Through the curtains covering the one window in the room, a sliver of sunlight was visible. He figured that the species of animals in Firean were radically different than those of Hyrule, but he was not interested in observing the differences between a Hylian cucco and a "Firean cucco."

"Get up, Kyo." Zukto said as he walked to the basin to wash his face.

"Mmhhnn…" Kyoshiro moaned. Zukto rolled his eyes.

"I'm not waiting for you." He slung his quiver of arrows over his right shoulder. His bow was attached to the quiver. Despite his warning, he did wait about a minute more before leaving the room.

When Zukto got downstairs into the lobby of the inn, he noticed a cloaked figure sitting alone. He figured it was Azera, since he had not seen anyone else dress like her. Randomly, it occurred to him that this was the first time he had seen her sitting down. She was always standing up or walking.

"Good morning." Zukto said, raising his voice a bit so she would hear. The cloaked figure stood up at the sound of his voice, and turned to face him.

"Ah, good morning Zukto. You are up early."

"I could say the same to you."

"I am used to being up early. When you have… an obligation like mine, you never know when your services will be required."

"Does the Royal Family work you hard?"

"Sometimes. But I have a lot of time to practice my magic and read old texts."

"You seem incredibly knowledgeable. Are all Sheikah like that?"

"The ones who are left are, yes." Zelda said simply. Zukto immediately felt guilty for asking, but he could not tell if Azera was bothered by his question or not.

"The Shadow Folk are bound to study the ancient texts and advise the Royal Family. I have not heard of any Sheikah doing anything differently, though admittedly it is hard to say one way or the other. Almost all of us have been wiped out, but it is possible a few remain in hiding somewhere."

"Would you want to meet them if there were still some survivors?"

"No. They have abandoned their duties if they are in hiding. Only a coward would value his life over his responsibilities to the kingdom." Zelda replied curtly. Zukto raised an eyebrow. Her mind was so one-track, it was ridiculous.

 _I know how to work hard and all that, but it's like… it's like I'm talking to an Iron Knuckle. And talking to Iron Knuckles never works out in your favor._

"Well hey, if they survived, then they can resume their duties better than if they had died." Zukto offered. Zelda rolled her eyes, though it was an unnecessary reflex given that Zukto could not see her face anyway. Besides that, it was not as if she was actually invested in the conversation they were having anyway: it was all to maintain her façade.

 _The way I talk, one might actually be led to believe that I am indeed bound to serve the Royal Family... ah, what I would not give to make that a reality. This role suits me much more than…_

"When are we leaving? The artifact we seek is not going to wait around for us if someone else were to get to it before we do." She abruptly changed topics.

"Well, about that… We're obviously ready to go, but…"

"No need to make excuses for the other one. Kyoshiro can find his own way there if he cares to join us. I refuse to waste more time waiting for him." With that, Zelda left the inn. Zukto felt torn. If they treated Kyo too poorly, he might stop tagging along. On the other hand, Zukto felt like he had a chance of getting back in Kyoshiro's graces if their relationship took a turn for the worse. With Azera on the other hand… Zukto had no amount of confidence that he could get back on her "good side," if he was ever there in the first place; it was incredibly hard to tell. After weighing his options, joining Azera seemed to be the correct decision.

 _Perhaps Zukto may be my equal, but there is no doubt in my mind that the other is not. I have never been one to rely on others... but at least I know that one member of this party is somewhat competent._ Zelda thought as she put distance between herself and the inn.

Zukto ran out of the inn, and back up the hill where only yesterday they had encountered the dragon. He could recall every second of the battle as if it were happening all over again, though it still seemed surreal to him. He was used to fighting; after all, living in the Desert required one to be sound in both mind and body. But the dragon was so different than any other enemy he had ever encountered.

 _Well get used to it, Zukto! You have a lot of battles ahead of you._

At the top of the hill, he caught sight of a cloaked figure. Zukto wanted to yell to get her attention, as he knew it was Azera, but he thought about the dragon again.

 _What if there are some dragons hiding in the mountains around here? I don't want to attract them to us… better keep quiet. Even though this is awkward and I feel almost like a stalker… oh yeah, I've already been accused of stalking Azera. I guess I just can't get out of that, can I?_ Zukto laughed to himself at his own expense. What else was he supposed to do, anyway?

Zukto tried to balance moving quietly with moving quickly. Inconveniently, however, his travel companion suddenly vanished.

 _Oh, great. Now what?_ Just as Zukto was trying to figure out what to do, he thought he heard something off in the distance. He looked around for a place to hide; all he noticed was a tree. He jumped up to grab the lowest-hanging branch so he could pull himself up into it. The branches and leaves served as a fairly effective means of hiding himself. Luckily, the branches seemed sturdy.

 _If something around here has a sense of smell, hopefully it isn't good enough to follow me up here…_ Zukto thought, a bit worried, as he searched high and low to figure out what made Azera disappear. Suddenly, a loud roar ripped through the mountain pass. A huge shadow appeared out of nowhere; it was the shadow of a dragon that was even more impressive-looking than the one Zukto and Azera took down yesterday.

It circled the area twice before heading back the way it came. Zukto quickly jumped out of the tree because he had a feeling that the dragon was somehow connected to Firean's Temple. Hoping that the dragon was not coming back, Zukto quickened his pace. Not long after he started running after the dragon, the cloaked figure came into view again!

 _She probably hid in the shadows of a cliff or something to escape detection._

It did not take long for Zukto to get within a few feet of her. He purposely made himself trip on a rock, hoping to get her attention. It worked, although perhaps not in the way he was imagining.

"Quit following me. If you come any closer to me, I swear I will make you regret-" She started to say, turning around. When she realized who she was talking to, she lowered her arms. Zukto sighed with a bit of relief; her arms had been glowing purple. He did not want to find out what kind of magic he would have fallen victim to had she simply attacked.

"Again? Is this going to happen a lot?" Zelda asked. Zukto could not tell if she was joking or not.

"You caught me… but I had a reason this time! Okay, I'll just admit right now that what I said sounds a bit bad. But I can explain-!" Zukto was getting quite flustered.

"No need. I guess it cannot be helped. We are headed to the same place, after all. Just do not be so slow next time." Zelda said sternly. She did mean it, because she was impatient to accomplish the things she was expected to accomplish. But she did not blame Zukto as much as she did Kyoshiro.

 _Why in Nayru's name was he chosen to travel with us anyway? I have not seen a single thing that convinces me of his usefulness. Admittedly, though, I do not mind the silence that comes with him not following us._

As the two walked together, Zukto was dying to talk to his partner. Whenever the Gerudo were out working together, they passed the time with witty banter, jokes, and stories. To be walking alongside someone and not share even a few words with them: that did not sit well with him. But he had a feeling that the woman he was with did not grow up in an environment like he did. She preferred to keep to herself, and when she did interact with others out of necessity she usually came off as standoffish, impatient, curt, and aloof. It made Zukto begin to wonder what her life had been like before; was she raised with the idea that she should not speak unless spoken to? Did someone tell her that she could not be overly friendly with anyone?

Considering that she maintained a respectable position within the Royal Court, those ideas seemed likely. He recognized that trying to convince someone to do something they did not want to do was normally a futile endeavor, but he had dozens of questions for her. He also had a sneaking suspicion that any time she answered one of his questions, two others would soon take its place; she had such an air of mystery about her, after all. His curiosity would not allow him to keep quiet anymore, so he blurted out a question:

"How long did you have to train before you could serve the Royal Family as you do now?" He figured that question was innocent enough.

"…I began my training when I was a young girl. Why is that of concern to you?"

"I want to get to know you better."

 _Ah, that was rather bold of him to declare something like that out of the blue…_

"What would be the point in that?" She did not want to admit it, but the fact that he would openly admit to wanting to get to know her made her smile slightly.

"What do you mean, 'what would be the point?' We are partners: we are a team."

"And what makes you come to the conclusion that just because we are working together, you are entitled to know intimate details of my life? Do you really think me so desperate for attention that I would tell my life story to a complete stranger?" She snapped.

"Opening up to someone does not mean that you are desperate for attention. Did someone else tell you that? Whoever told you that must not have any friends, because they sure as hell don't know how to make them." Zukto picked up on the irritation in her voice, but part of him wanted to stand up to her; for some reason, she seemed very opposed to being close with others. He suddenly felt like proving to her that being someone's friend was not as awful an idea as she seemed to think it was.

"Friends? I have no need for such a thing. My responsibilities keep me entirely too occupied."

"Master Nabooru expected us to work and train every day for many hours, but we didn't use that as an excuse. I am friends with the entire Gerudo tribe, because we all shared so many memories together after eight years. We supported one another when times were hard, and celebrated when times were good. Doesn't that mean something to you? The Gerudo accepted an outsider: they welcomed me into their tribe. Don't tell me that your Master, the Sage of Shadow, told you to shut everyone out."

"This has **nothing** to do with Master Impa. Go ahead and make all of the accusations about me as you wish, but I will not stand idly by as you try to make my Master look like a fool compared to the Sage of Spirit. In order to stop you from making more wild accusations about matters you know nothing about, I will say that I personally came to the conclusion that I cannot have friends."

"What? Why in Din's name would you decide something so ridiculous?" Zukto was in complete disbelief about what she was saying.

"I cannot have friends because of _what_ I am." With that, she dashed ahead of Zukto. He did not speed up to keep up with her, as he knew that this was her signal to him that she no longer wished to continue the conversation.

 _Yes... I must keep my distance; after all, the people who I loved more than anything else... they were specifically targeted because of me. I cannot allow myself to get close to others anymore. I do not want to be haunted by even more nightmares and regrets..._ Just thinking about all of the things she could no longer say to them was enough to overwhelm her. At least with the distance she was putting between herself and Zukto, she would have time to regain her composure.

 _She said that she cannot have friends because of 'what' she is, not 'who' she is. So what is she, then? What about her renders friendship so unobtainable? It's like she's afraid. Her anger and deception are used as barriers to keep people away from her. She obviously prefers to isolate herself, but she's making everything much worse. She probably thinks I am being pushy, but if I leave this matter up to her she'd try to come up with a way to help us on the mission without saying a word to us. Something about this doesn't sit right with me. It might be slow going, but I'll figure out why she is so opposed to opening up to us._ Zukto thought to himself as he watched Azera put more distance between them. He couldn't help but think that she was not as angry as she was acting, because she was still headed in the direction of the Temple like he was.

Finally, after a couple of hours of hiking, Zukto noticed Azera stop a ways ahead of him. He broke into a jog to catch up with her.

"Did you find something?" He called out to her as he got within ear shot. They were standing in an area with what appeared to be the crumbling remains of what might have once been a grander monument or temple.

"…We have to be close. Nothing else thus far has stood out to me. And it is pretty common for temples such as this one to fall into disrepair if dangerous monsters roam the area." Zelda said, in her usual matter-of-fact tone. So her mood had returned to 'normal,' at least.

"Also, if the people don't even know about it…" Zukto muttered.

"I am all-too-familiar with that scenario, yes. The Temple residing in Kakariko is all but forgotten by the villagers. The Sheikah are the only ones who know the location of the Temple and how to enter it."

"Speaking of entering temples… we'll need to figure out how to enter this one." Zukto stopped wandering around because he felt like it was pointless. "I don't see an entrance; do you?"

Zelda looked around the area, but could not see much more than the massive cliffs surrounding them.

"Well, usually… temples, such as the one we seek, are built after someone discovers or invents some kind of a reason for a temple to exist in the first place. Many ancient prophecies have come to pass over the centuries. With this in mind, I assume that this Temple also had a prophecy connected to it. The builders of the Temple would have had to devise some method of protecting the Temple from looters and people who do not need to snoop around… some method of protection which only the people fated to explore the Temple can bypass or overcome."

"… Are you saying we need Kyoshiro?" Zukto did not like the direction the conversation was headed.

"It would be, frankly, astounding to me if we did not; the three Goddesses perceive him to be of use in these matters, after all." Zelda did not sound particularly amused.

"Figures. We get here, but can't enter it." Zukto sighed, looking a little defeated. Suddenly, the ground underneath them shook.

"… Is this an earthquake?! If any cracks in the ground show up, avoid them!" Zelda explained. The two frantically scanned the area for a safe spot to occupy. Suddenly, three Stalfos rose out of the ground in a circle around Zukto and Zelda. The two backed up against one another.

"We are outnumbered, but we will be fine." Zelda reassured Zukto.

"Have any ideas?"

"Foolish travelers! You think you can best us so easily?" One of the Stalfos asked. This surprised both Zukto and Zelda.

"… You can speak Hylian?" Zelda inquired.

"We three are very special Stalfos. We have been guarding this Temple for centuries. Our mission is to await the three heroes of legend, and test their skills. We can see that there are only two of you here. I'm sorry, nothing personal… but your lives are forfeit."

With that, the Stalfos went on the offensive. Immediately, Zelda reached out her arms like she did with the dragon. One of the Stalfos was utterly immobilized by her magic when she grabbed hold of its shadow.

"Zukto, I cannot do this to more than one enemy at a time; keep the others off of me!"

"Right." Zukto suddenly wished that he knew how to use a weapon besides his bow and arrows; Stalfos were close-range fighters. Anytime he tried to nock an arrow, a Stalfos would jump in front of him and interrupt his attempt to dispatch them by swinging their jagged swords at him. Since Zukto did not possess a shield to ward off their attacks, his only choice was to move out of the way when the Stalfos aimed a swing at him. In addition, when he was lucky enough to be able to pull off a shot… the Stalfos would just block the arrows with their heavy shields.

Zelda had a bit more luck with her foe. While the Stalfos was rendered immobile, Zelda raised her arm that matched the Stalfos' sword arm. She then physically imitated running herself through; while she was unharmed, the Stalfos' body copied what Zelda did and stabbed its sword right through its own bones. One skeletal warrior thus fell.

"Alright, done with one! Now we are even." Zelda declared triumphantly. She charged up magical power in her hands, and flung it at another Stalfos that tried to rush Zukto. The skeleton quickly raised its shield to block the attack. At first, Zelda assumed that the shield would not be strong enough to resist her attack. Unfortunately, she was wrong: the shield held up well against her magic.

"Wait, I did not even dent it…" Zelda's disappointment was not lost on the remaining Stalfos. One of them cackled.

"You don't listen do you, girl? We said we're waiting for the three heroes. Without them, we're invincible!"

"… Zukto, we can each kill exactly one of these guys… Kyoshiro has to kill one! If he does not show up soon…" Zelda clenched one of her hands into a fist, feeling frustrated.

"Did someone call me?!" With a ridiculous entrance that only Kyoshiro would be capable of, he dashed into view and straight up to the Stalfos that blocked Azera's magic. He swung his heavy sword above his head and plunged it straight into the Stalfos' skull. The remaining Stalfos dropped its weapon.

"You! You three are the legendary heroes! I am honored to see you in the flesh. Please, excuse the test. It was the only way that you could be shown the entrance to the Temple. Give me a moment." Slowly, the two fallen Stalfos stood back up, fully revived, and followed the leader to one of the faces of a nearby cliff. They each surrendered their swords to indents in the cliff. The ground shook once more, this time to reveal a hidden stairway that lead deeper into the mountain.

"Before we part ways heroes, I have a word of caution. You seem to assume that one person can accomplish everything by his or herself. Such thoughts will only allow you to get so far; proceed with caution and try to cooperate." After delivering the message, the three Stalfos warriors disappeared into the ground.

"You're welcome." Kyoshiro said, making a motion with his hands as if he was dusting his hands off.

"Come off it. You should have been with us from the very beginning." Zelda snapped.

 _They say 'better late than never,' and while that may have rung true in this case... Gods, I cannot stand people who wait until the last minute to contribute. Those same people who are late to start always act like their accomplishments are more praiseworthy than everyone else's._

"Geez, testy…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"Come." Zelda practically ordered. She began the descent into the Temple.

"I hope you're ready Kyo. We're about to end up who-knows-where, and fight who-knows-what." Zukto warned.

"Oh, whatever. Did you already forget how skillfully I destroyed that bag of bones?"

"… Right." Zukto decided that Kyoshiro probably was not the best person for stimulating conversation. He followed Azera deeper into the mountain. Kyoshiro followed after them, but on his own time.

"I don't rush to anything. I always find my targets, no matter who they are or where they're hiding. I came on time back there, so what's the point of worrying about it?" Kyoshiro began talking. Zelda tried to ignore him, and certainly did not grace his comments with a response.

Finally, the adventurers reached the Temple proper. In the main hall, tall statues of dragons were erected in rows. There was a door in the room, and the trio decided that it was probably the way to go, but they did not know how to get to it. The door was located on the opposite side of a pit of quicksand. It took Zelda mere moments to devise a solution.

"Please stand aside you two, and make sure your shadows do not touch the shadow of the statue I am about to manipulate." The two men backed up as instructed, and watched as Zelda closed her eyes and began manipulating shadows again. One statue's shadow stretched out so far that it created a "bridge" across the quicksand.

"Cross it." She instructed. Zukto immediately ran across. It was admittedly weird for him to walk across a shadow that suddenly became solid, like the floor, but he was grateful for Azera's unique abilities.

"So… this is safe, then?" Kyoshiro muttered.

"What, something wrong?" Zelda asked.

"N-nothing." Kyoshiro hesitated. He gave himself a minute to steel himself before slowly inching his way across the bridge. Zelda sighed.

"And finally, right before the adventurers die of old age…" She muttered to herself. With the two men near the door, Zelda was next.

"Do not move, either of you." Zelda called out to them from across the sandpit.

Suddenly, she disappeared from where she was standing. Seconds later, she literally rose out of Kyoshiro's shadow with a flourish. Kyoshiro jumped backwards in surprise.

"Dear Goddesses! What in the name of Hyrule was that?"

"I can manipulate shadows as you have already seen. The shadows of people and objects are also an incredibly convenient way for me to travel a respectable distance in a short amount of time. Ah yes, thank you for lending me your shadow." Zelda led the way through the door into the next room.

The next room of the Temple was completely dark.

"Great, I can't see anything." Kyoshiro complained.

"What gave that away?" Zelda muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, just… go teleport across the room and turn the lights on!" Kyoshiro said, exasperated.

"I cannot travel via shadows if there are none. Darkness is different than shadows. I cannot _see_ any shadows here. How about you?" Zelda sighed.

"Well, I see a small light. It's way over there." Zukto offered. He pointed to where it was, but then remembered that no one could see anything. He felt a little silly with his arm outstretched, so he lowered it.

"Ah, I see it… so what?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Zukto, aim an arrow at that light." Zelda suggested. Zukto was a little confused at the suggestion at first, but had to admit to himself that he was not exactly a source of great ideas at the moment. He did as he was instructed; when the arrow flew past the light, the entire room lit up.

"Ah! Nice goin' Zukto." Kyoshiro mused.

"Well, thank you Azera for your suggestion. Let's go see what exactly I did to make the lights come on." Zukto ran over to the light. The light was actually a small torch, and behind the torch was a button situated on a wall.

"Your arrow must have activated the button. At any rate, let us press on." Zelda moved ahead, assuming that Zukto and Kyoshiro were following. Kyoshiro stopped Zukto.

"By the Goddesses, do we really have to put up with her? She's getting annoying. I couldn't even stop to get a drink of water if I wanted." Kyoshiro complained.

"Well, she's taking this situation seriously unlike you."

"Why are you 'defending' her? She doesn't need your help. I bet if you ever offered to help her with something, she'd tell you to get lost in the Lost Woods. As it is, I wish she would get lost in the Lost Woods… you know, they say that people who get lost in the Forest turn into Stalfos…" Kyoshiro muttered. Zukto shook his head.

"Speaking of Stalfos, you don't remember anything that Stalfos back there said, do you? The Stalfos warned us about being too focused on what we can do by ourselves. We need to work as a team, not just a bunch of individuals. Stay here if you like, but I'm going ahead." With that, Zukto broke into a jog to catch up with Azera. Kyoshiro kicked a rock out of frustration.

"I'm tired of being told what to do. Doing everything by myself suits me much better." Despite saying that, a voice in the back of his mind nagged at him.

 _Why does this feel so familiar... watching them run off without me... bah, whatever. I am used to being alone._

When Zukto entered a new room, he was met with a surprise. A large rattling could be heard throughout the room, but Zukto was not immediately sure where it was coming from. When he looked up, he saw something falling straight towards him. Zukto flinched, and covered his head. He did not move again until the thing had fallen to the ground and he could not hear any more rattling. When he recovered his upright stance, he noticed that he was confined in a large cage.

"Hm, well, this wouldn't have been my first choice of real estate…"

"Zukto, do not worry: I can get you out of there." Said a familiar voice: it was Azera. She appeared from behind a statue.

"So there you are. How come you didn't get caught like this?"

"I noticed that the floor where you are standing is oddly colored." She pointed out. Zukto looked down at his feet: so it was.

"It is a pressure panel. I figured that some kind of trap would be activated if I stepped there. So I jumped over it."

"You're pretty observant. I don't normally think to check what's under my feet. After all, in the Desert, you cannot really hide traps like that under sand."

"Well… you will catch on before long." Zelda paused, trying to pick her words in a way so as to not sound so condescending. Zukto smiled; so she knew how to be encouraging after all.

 _Kyoshiro is way off-base about her. He's not giving her a chance, I think. And he'll come to regret it before long._

"So, um, about getting me out of here…"

"Ah, yes, let me take care of that." Azera went back behind the statue. While she was back there, the cage was lifted off of Zukto. At the same time the cage returned to the ceiling, a staircase heading further down into the Temple revealed itself.

"I see! So you _have_ to activate the pressure plate. If you do not, the stairs never show up!" Zelda observed, somewhat amused.

"That _is_ rather clever, even if I had to fall for the trap. So… you really _do_ need to come here as a group. If a single person came by themselves, and somehow managed to get this far, how could they get behind that statue if they were stuck in a cage?" Zukto pondered.

"It is as the Stalfos said. We have to work together." Zelda said, nodding slightly.

"Well, speaking of working together… about Kyoshiro…" Zukto started.

"He is lagging behind again? Let us… just proceed for now. We can try to get further without him. We cannot _make_ him help us… so if he is not in the mood, there is no point in standing around and wasting our time." Zelda explained.

"You know, I'm starting to question why Goddess Din insisted he come with us in the first place. So far, he's only helped us once..." Zukto muttered.

"I had similar thoughts earlier. But maybe there is hope for him yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in many ancient texts that describe the heroic deeds of our late heroes, such journeys as the one we have embarked on typically change the person, or people, that experience them. So maybe Kyoshiro still has a bit of growing to do."

"… I never thought of that."

 _I wonder if I still have growing to do too…_ Zukto thought, his mind beginning to wander back to a time when he was younger. He always thought his older brother was so mature and enviable... but the revelation that Hyrule's supposed mortal enemy was actually his brother was starting to make him question everything he used to know about Kkladekk.

"In any case, shall we?" Zelda motioned down the staircase. Zukto nodded.

Kyoshiro made his way into the room with the cage after Zukto and Azera had already left. He stepped on the pressure plate, but heard a clicking noise. He looked up quickly, and side-rolled out of the way of the cage before it could fall on top of him.

"Hah. These stupid traps are pitiful. Look, I don't need help; not from you or anyone." It took Kyoshiro a minute to notice that he was alone. He was a little disappointed about reacting so quickly and avoiding danger without an audience to impress.

 _Bah, I never needed an audience before anyway. It was just the thought of getting more money and fame… keep your eye on the prize, Kyoshiro._ He stopped to consider his options; he rested an arm on a statue. There was another click, but Kyoshiro did not notice any more cages falling. Instead, the staircase that Zelda and Zukto descended down was sealed off. Another staircase in a different part of the room revealed itself in turn.

 _I guess this is the path I'm taking? Wonder where it leads?_ Kyoshiro nonchalantly followed the path.

"… I wonder what's keeping him." Zukto wondered out loud, breaking the silence that had fallen between the duo.

"He probably got lost." Zelda said, shrugging.

"… Should we look for him?"

"There is no point. We must be close to the end by now. Besides, he got what he wanted: he wanted to work by himself. So now if he is in a rough situation, he can help himself out of it." Zelda stated. Zukto kind of agreed with her, but he still felt a little bad about it.

The duo entered a square room that, at first glance, had no distinguishable features.

"This is odd, it's almost like this room is a dead-end." Zukto observed.

"Let me see…" Azera approached the wall that was opposite the stairs, and started slowly pacing up and down it.

"See anything?"

"Yes; I suspect that this wall over here is false. We need to figure out how to knock it down or get through it."

"Knock it down or get through it… is there a switch or something around here?" Zukto began searching the room to see what he could find.

"Hm… I honestly feel like the switch is somewhere else. Perhaps we ought to backtrack a bit—" Zelda began to explain, before the ground rumbled underneath them.

"What now?" Zukto muttered. As soon as the rumbling stopped, the wall that Zelda thought was false slowly began to lower itself into the floor. When the wall had been lowered into the floor, revealing a bigger room beyond it, Zukto and Zelda ran into Kyoshiro again. He had a smug look on his face.

"Hey, look at that… Kyo saves the day again!" Zukto said, laughing at the irony. When Zukto said 'saves the day,' Kyoshiro beamed.

"It was all part of the plan. You know, I think there's a lesson to be learned here: you two are impatient. I told you there was no reason to rush. When you rush, you miss stuff…" While Kyoshiro was giving his speech, Zelda sighed.

"You need to quit while you are ahead, and admit that whatever just happened was a lucky accident."

"Excuse me? Didn't I just—" Before Kyoshiro could finish, Zukto shot him a disapproving look. He fell silent.

"Let's go everyone! I see a staircase at the back of the room." Zukto explained with mock cheeriness. Zelda thought a minute, and had a feeling that they would soon meet the large dragon from earlier that day. Kyoshiro had no idea that they were going to fight such a massive beast, but she was not terribly worried about him because he seemed to get a kick out of doing things that 'ordinary people' could not do.

 _Well, he shall find out soon enough anyway._ Zelda shrugged slightly.

The staircase brought the trio up to a huge terrace outside, which had a view of the mountain pass they traversed earlier. The wind was blowing heavily.

"Augh, great, how am I supposed to shoot arrows in this?!" Zukto looked annoyed.

"Maybe you should not bother…" Zelda offered, trying to be helpful. She was more concerned about making sure that her hood did not fly off of her head in the wind.

"So… what exactly are we looking for out here anyway?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Ahhh, so I have guests." A mysterious, sinister voice echoed around the terrace. It sounded quite close, but no one could see the source of the voice.

"Now is the time to prepare for a fight." Zelda warned.

"You wish to fight me, girl? How amusing. Let us introduce ourselves properly…" The heroes could hear the heavy beat of wings flapping. Suddenly, the large dragon Zukto and Zelda saw earlier came into view. He gracefully landed in front of the trio.

"Hmm, there are more of you than I expected. And there is a girl. I was told nothing about a girl." The dragon growled.

"It makes no difference who or what I am." Zelda replied angrily.

"Oh, you are naïve. Who you are could make the difference between life and death, mortal. And who I am assures me that I shall emerge from this conflict victorious. Enough talk; I have orders to obey. You must die. Do not take it personally." With that, the dragon propelled itself into the air.

"Azera, we need to get it out of the air. We are at a total disadvantage while it flies around."

"Especially you." She mused. "But yes, I agree with you. Try to distract it when it comes back into view."

Zukto and Kyoshiro both stood before, but not directly in front of, Zelda as she closed her eyes. She was preparing to manipulate the shadow of the dragon when it came back. As the dragon flew back to the terrace, it loosed a stream of fire from its mouth. Kyoshiro and Zukto ducked out of way, but Zelda remained in place. She quickly erected a magical barrier to shield herself from the flames.

"You two: careful where you stand!" Zelda warned. Just as the dragon stopped shooting flames at her, Zelda dissolved the barrier and grabbed a hold of its shadow. The dragon snarled in surprise.

"What in the Orb's name are you doing, girl?! Release me!" It could not move. Zelda was already feeling tired; it consumed a lot of her energy just to keep him stationary.

"Z-Zukto! Kyoshiro! You must damage it! This is your only shot!" The two looked at each other quickly.

"Zukto, kneel down and don't move. You need to launch me up there." Kyoshiro explained. Zukto nodded and got into position while Kyoshiro quickly backed up, and ran towards Zukto. Kyoshiro jumped up as he reached Zukto, and Zukto put his strength into pushing Kyoshiro further into the air. Once propelled further, Kyoshiro was able to grab onto the dragon's neck.

"Get off me, mortal! You shall regret insulting me." The dragon threatened.

"Oh, come off it while you're ahead!" Kyoshiro taunted the beast as he used one hand to unsheathe his sword. He plunged the sword into the beast's unprotected underbelly. The dragon screamed in pain, and fell to the terrace as Zelda let go of its shadow.

"Hold on Kyo!" Zukto called. Kyoshiro swung himself onto the dragon's back to avoid being bit, but he did not have his weapon anymore: it was stuck in the dragon.

"Zukto, the wind died down has it not?" Zelda observed.

"So it has. In the excitement, I didn't notice. Where shall I shoot?"

"Where it will hurt the most." Zelda suggested as she charged up a ball of magic and fired it at the dragon's head. It flinched, but did not appear to suffer much from the attack. The dragon turned its head again to try and bite Kyoshiro, who was still on its back.

"Whoah, guys, I need help here!" Kyoshiro yelled.

"I am on it. Watch out!" Zelda warned, as she manipulated the shadow of Kyoshiro's sword. She drew it out of the dragon, which caused the beast to flinch, and threw it up into the air. Kyoshiro caught it triumphantly.

"We make a good team! Now let's show this overgrown Lizalfos a thing or two!" Kyoshiro declared. He swung once at the dragon's head, but missed. The second swing did not miss however; the dragon swung its head away from Kyoshiro and growled after the sword made contact. Though its scales protected its face from major damage, the sword stung and the dragon could feel some of its scales coming loose in places.

"Your game has lasted long enough!" The dragon angrily declared, as he began to shake himself. Kyoshiro lost his footing, and fell off the dragon's back. As Kyo fell, the dragon launched itself back into the air. Before Kyoshiro hit the ground, Zelda grabbed onto Zukto's shadow and dragged him over to where Kyoshiro was going to fall. Zukto caught him, with the help of Zelda's powers.

"Thanks… Your powers are pretty handy." Kyoshiro observed after he scrambled to get out of Zukto's arms.

"Just keep your eyes on our foe." As she was saying this, Kyo frantically pointed behind her. Something was bothering him, but he was not saying what. Zelda knew that whatever Kyo saw could not be good, so she melted into a nearby shadow just as the dragon was about to sneak up on her. He was not expecting her to disappear from right in front of him; he kept flying and crashed into a wall.

"It's facing the wrong way! Can you… maybe turn it over? We can attack it while it's dazed and in pain." Zukto explained as she reappeared. Zelda had to admit it was a great idea, but she was unsure whether or not she was in shape enough to make something so massive roll over. But she had to try.

"… I might need your help. To even hold him in place is hard enough, let alone making his entire body change positions."

"I understand. Kyo, come on! We need to push!" Zukto yelled. Kyoshiro looked confused, but he followed Zukto. When the two men were ready, Zukto signaled to Zelda. She concentrated as much as could on the dragon's shadow, and slowly began to push its body over. As it began to move, Zukto and Kyo thrust all of their strength into helping Zelda. Miraculously, the plan worked: the dragon was now lying on its back.

"Kyo, we have to make this count. Do your worst." Zukto instructed. The swordsman's eyes shined.

"Gladly!" Kyoshiro waved his sword once as a warm up before stabbing the dragon several times in different places. Its screams of pain were worse with each impact.

Zukto nocked an arrow and shot it into one of the dragon's closed eyes. The pain was so great that the dragon unexpectedly shot into the air, but it could only see half as well as before. It clumsily flew through the air.

"Where is that cursed woman?! She is the first to die!" The dragon declared as it looked around the terrace. Finally, he found her. She was exhausted from moving him: she was still kneeling down on the ground and had not moved.

"Azera! You have to move NOW!" Zukto yelled. She did not respond. Zukto began to seriously worry for her safety. The dragon began to fly straight for Zelda, and Zukto ran towards her to try and stop him. Zukto reached Zelda in time, but the dragon was only a moment slower than Zukto. Zukto braced himself, not knowing what was going to happen. Suddenly, Zukto heard an awful crashing noise. He could not feel anything, so he opened his eyes and straightened up. The dragon was on the ground again in a heap.

"What happened?" He asked.

"That was the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack. You getting involved just made it so much more believable: I had planned from the beginning to stop it with a barrier." Zelda mused. Zukto felt a little embarrassed for some reason.

"Well, we need to finish him off. Kyoshiro, get over here!" Azera yelled. Kyo made haste.

"Come, we should end this together." Azera suggested. The three nodded. Because the dragon kept crashing into walls, his scales had been coming off. A gem was now visible on the back of his neck. All three heroes charged up an attack and struck it at the same time. The beast screamed horribly, before going silent and still. His body began to magically decompose; the battle was over.


	8. Victory and the Unveiling of Secrets

Zelda, Zukto, and Kyoshiro were breathing heavily. They looked at each other, almost in disbelief; they beat the massive dragon that was guarding the first temple!

"Well, that did not end too horribly." Zelda mused.

"Awww, yeah! Did you see me? I was on FIRE during that battle!" Kyoshiro declared, thrusting a triumphant fist into the air.

"Let's go find the artifact that the Goddesses sent us here for." Zukto requested.

"Agreed." Zelda responded, nodding. They looked around the terrace, and noticed a little alcove that was not there earlier. The heroes made their way in that direction. Once inside, they found a small altar standing on the opposite wall to the entrance.

"Is that it…?" Kyoshiro asked. Zukto approached the alter. Above it, a large scythe hung on the wall.

"Ah, Azera, please come here… there is writing here and I can't read it." Zukto explained. Zelda approached him, and looked to where he was focused. She studied the text a while before reading it out loud.

"Here lies the tool the servants of the Gods used to purge the unworthy from the dominion of the Gods. Unworthy mortals may not wield it."

"Thanks… well, should I grab it?" Zukto asked, hesitantly.

"Of course. Even if I doubted you, I do not doubt the Goddesses. They chose you for a reason." After she finished, Zukto stood there silently for a moment. He agreed with Azera, so he grabbed the scythe. The weapon flashed briefly, but nothing else happened. The two looked at each other for a while before deciding that nothing bad was going to happen. Though Zukto thought it was weird for him to be staring into 'empty space;' when was she going to reveal her face?

"Well, this trip appears to be a success. Let us return to Hyrule." Zelda suggested.

"We have quite a trek ahead of us. Let's return first to the village. If night is upon us when we return, we can stay for one more night before heading back to Hyrule. I don't think there would be much harm in that." Zukto said. The trio began the trip back to the Firean village, but this time the mood was lighter than before.

"That was easily the biggest creature I've ever fought." Kyoshiro noted, still looking psyched.

"I can say the same for myself." Zukto nodded in agreement.

"So hey, what were you doing in the Desert anyway? You're not a Gerudo." Kyoshiro asked, looking inquisitive.

"Well, um, you see…" Zukto began, unsure if he should come right out and admit that not only was he not a Gerudo, he was not even a native of Hyrule. He was a little nervous about what their reactions might be, but then it dawned on him that he would be acting exactly like Azera if he held something like that back.

"Ah-hum, Azera, may I bother you for a minute?" Zukto cleared his throat and tried to get the woman's attention. If he was going to reveal one of his biggest 'secrets,' he wanted everyone's attention.

"What is it?" She responded, but did not sound terribly interested.

"Well, Kyoshiro just asked what I was doing in the Desert before we met up. I feel like this is something that you guys deserve to know the truth about."

"Go on." Zukto was not sure, but he thought he detected a hint of interest in her voice.

"I know that this will be hard for you to believe, but… one day, eight years ago… I suddenly found myself alone in the Gerudo Desert." Zukto started, watching both of them carefully.

"That is rather odd, that you just ended up there all of a sudden. But where in Hyrule were you prior to you being in the Desert?" Kyoshiro asked.

"That's the thing, see… I was not in Hyrule before that: I was not born in Hyrule. Before that day, eight years ago, I only had read about this land in old books. I barely knew anything about it." Zukto admitted nervously.

"You are not from here?! But where did you come from?!" Zukto could tell from the surprise in her voice that he had Azera's full attention now.

"You seem to know a little bit about everything, Azera, so perhaps you might recognize this name; I hail from a strange place called Charcai."

"Charcai, the Land of the Morph?" She asked. His assumption had been right: she recognized the place without missing a beat.

"Okay, so you must have heard at least a little bit about it."

"So wait a second; you say you are not from Hyrule at all, but instead you're from some other land. But you speak Hylian fairly well from what I can tell. What's up with that?" Kyoshiro asked.

"You are suspicious of my ability to learn foreign languages? You know, our friend Azera here probably knows more languages than me." Zukto pointed out, laughing.

"It is commendable that you learned our language as well as you did, especially considering that you have only been here for eight years." Azera's compliment sounded rather sincere.

"I think it's because I had no choice: no one in the Desert understands Charcaian. Lucky for me, Master Nabooru and I crossed paths soon after I found myself stranded there. I was just happy to see someone, anyone at all, so I rushed straight up to her and of course started blabbering in my native language. She must have sensed that I was desperate, because she signaled for me to follow her back to the Gerudo Fortress.

At first, naturally, I did not understand much of anything. I understood that I was in a desert, but I did not know for quite some time that I was actually in Hyrule. That was a shock when I finally found out. It was also a surprise to me that there was a desert tribe with only females in it. I don't think there's anything like that back in Charcai."

"Alright, so that is why you were training with the Sage of Spirit. She essentially saved you from getting lost in the Desert. Of course, the fact that you crossed paths was probably not an accident to begin with: the Goddesses willed it. After all, if the Goddesses ultimately were going to ask you to lead this mission against Hyrule's enemies, they could not very well let you die out in the middle of nowhere. But the question remains…" Azera paused.

"Yeah, I've asked myself countless times: how in the hell did I just end up in the Gerudo Desert? I asked Master Nabooru, but of course she wouldn't know. You know, for a while… I was afraid that my ending up in Hyrule was just a freak accident, and that I might never be able to go back home. It caused me quite a bit of turmoil. But that's why, when the Goddess Din spoke to me in that dream… I decided immediately that it wasn't just my brain playing tricks on me. This was my chance to have a purpose. It made me feel like my coming to Hyrule was not some crazy accident; it really gave me a change of perspective, one that had been frankly long overdue." Zukto shook his head.

 _I am honestly having a hard time processing this information. It seems so surreal that this man standing before us is not even from our Kingdom. I knew he was not a Gerudo: that much was apparent. There is also no way that he could be Hylian, as his ears are far too small. Besides that, the only thing that was not really adding up was the fact that he had been in the Desert for any period of time. Heh, there is definitely more than meets the eye with him._ Zelda thought to herself, feeling amused at this strange turn of events.

"So, you're some foreigner… it just seems so crazy, you know?" Kyoshiro looked like he was having a hard time believing it too.

"I'm just as perplexed about it as you are, trust me. There were so many times when I wished that this all was just an insane dream I couldn't wake up from."

"What was your home like? How does it compare to Hyrule?" Kyoshiro asked.

"I'll start this answer by mentioning that I actually have not seen much of Hyrule. My work with Master Nabooru kept me busy enough that I didn't have the time to leave the Desert to go sight-seeing. In fact: when I went to Hyrule Castle Town to retrieve you two that was my first time in the city. So how it compares to Charcai may be a hard question for me to answer. But Charcai… like I said earlier, it is a strange place. We call it the Land of the Morph because of the influence exerted on our world from a strange crystal. Just like the Triforce is an ancient symbol for your people, so too is this crystal back home. The crystal has amazing power; no one really understands it. But what we did know was that this thing's magic was so strong that it actively changed, or morphed, the landscape. One day, a large crater could suddenly pop up with no warning. And just as mysteriously as it arrived, it could also vanish. Sometimes these new formations were beneficial, and sometimes they weren't. But there was not a way, not that I know of anyway, to control the crystal's power. Our ancestors couldn't figure out what to do with it either, so a large tower was built especially for it. The day before I wound up in Hyrule, the crystal still was in the tower and causing chaos and confusion like it always had."

"So things just constantly change?" Kyoshiro looked even more incredulous.

"Mostly, yeah."

"I wonder if your sudden appearance in Hyrule is somehow connected to the crystal. If there are no other sources of great magic there, that is the only logical conclusion one can draw." Azera proposed.

"I suppose it's possible, but I can't get back home to investigate. If I had found a way to go back home years ago, I wouldn't be here right now I suspect."

"Since you are caught up in Hyrule's fate, I have a feeling that you will finally get your wish. I suspect that before long, our journey will bring us to your homeland."

Zukto looked at Azera with a start. It seemed reasonable for her to assume such a thing, since they were already in a strange land, but the thought had not occurred to him before now that this might be his ticket back to Charcai.

"Wow, you know, not even for a second since I agreed to help the Goddesses did I entertain that possibility. Now, it feels so close that I can taste it. It probably won't be a permanent home coming, but… it would be nice to be in familiar lands again." He seemed wistful.

"Do you not consider Hyrule your home, then?" Kyoshiro asked. He seemed bummed.

"Well, um… it's hard to explain. All of my childhood memories are from my old home, of course. I grew up there. There's this familiarity about Charcai that is dear to me. But since I was spirited away from my home eight years ago, I've grown into a young man while in Hyrule. I made some friends, and I've learned a lot. But I guess that it was just hard for me to handle the fact that I had no idea how to return back to Charcai. Since I had been worried about my appearance in Hyrule being due to a total accident, I clung to the idea of my homeland. My identity was entirely based off of my experiences growing up there. But don't worry: I have been warming up to Hyrule more and more, especially now that I can speak the language." Zukto explained, trying to reassure them.

"You should just stay with us. I mean, what about Charcai is so much better than Hyrule?" Kyoshiro asked. Zukto was surprised at first at the question, but then he grinned.

"Kyo, are you saying that you'd miss me?" Zukto teased, laughing.

"I don't know about 'missing' you, but it seems a shame that you would just up and leave. Oh, and man, what's up with 'Kyo' anyway? That sounds like something my mom would call me." He groaned. Zukto laughed even more.

"I like your name, Kyoshiro. You can shorten it if you want. But Zukto? I have no idea how you'd make a nickname out of it."

"Nicknames are stupid." Kyoshiro grumbled.

"Aw, c'mon Kyo. You're too cool for a nickname?" Zukto teased again, feigning disappointment.

Azera had withdrawn from the conversation, opting to quietly observe the two instead while they engaged in lively conversation. In a way, Zukto's weird circumstances were a blessing because that kept their attention focused on something besides her.

 _Ugh, I still need to come up with some way to meet with my father without him revealing my secrets. I am not looking forward to this at all…_

When they finally arrived at the village, they admitted to being much more tired than they had first realized. They got two rooms at the Inn again to get rest until the next day. While they were getting comfortable, the village Elder appeared. He talked with Zelda in his native tongue for a bit before giving something to her. She responded, and the Elder looked quite pleased. Just as soon as he appeared, he left.

"What was that about?" Zukto asked.

"He gave us the Crest of Firean. It is a legendary symbol of prestige in this land. The fact that he gave it to us underscores the importance of our mission." Zelda explained as she held it out for Zukto and Kyoshiro to look at. Zukto reached out for it, and she let him take it from her.

"Well, I don't think anyone can deny that we deserve it." Kyoshiro declared as he looked it over.

"Anyway, good night." Zelda said abruptly. She left so she could go to her room; she wanted to be alone after spending the entire day with them. Zukto watched her go without saying anything.

 _While I must admit that doing something like that on my own would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, I am just about at my limit. It will be nice to have a room to myself, so I can quietly contemplate things at my own leisure. I rarely have to work so closely with other people, so I am not quite used to this._ She thought as she retreated to her room.

"She has a point. Let's get some sleep." Zukto said to Kyoshiro after watching her leave.

The heroes began their journey home early the next day. Things seemed less tense between Zukto and Kyoshiro, who were joking and sharing stories. Zelda, on the other hand, was silent. She was concerned about meeting her father, worried that they did not know anything about their enemy, and she was bothered that she could not recall having read anything about the current situation.

 _I have access to so many books, and yet the name Kkladekk means nothing to me. Why have I not seen his name before…?_ She thought with frustration. There was no mistaking it: Goddess Din had clearly said that name. But no book she had ever read mentioned someone by that name. There were countless others: Ganondorf, Majora, Zant, Vaati, Veran, but nothing even came close to the name Kkladekk…

"What do you think, Azera?" Zukto asked. His question abruptly broke Zelda's train of thought.

"About what? I apologize, but I have been busy contemplating some very important matters." She replied. Kyoshiro burst out laughing.

"Ha, she wasn't even paying attention to you!" Kyo mocked. Zukto looked unaffected.

"Well, if you won't listen then I don't want to repeat myself."

"I do not blame you for feeling that way." Was all Zelda said, before returning to her thoughts. Zukto was a bit taken aback that his plan to make her curious and join the conversation failed.

 _It was probably something pointless anyway. He may have trained under a Sage like I have, but I can see that he still spends way too much time engaging with frivolous topics. I suppose it is for the best, though. The less we have in common, the better…_

"Oh well. We don't need her opinion anyway." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"Quit being ridiculous." Zukto replied tersely. The rest of the trip back was awkwardly silent for Zukto and Kyoshiro. Zukto really wanted to talk with Azera, but did not know how to make her engage. Kyoshiro was used to silence, since normally he worked alone, but he was a little put off that Zukto kept telling him off. He did not care one way or the other whether Azera was a part of the conversation or not, but he was starting to get bored.

When the group finally retraced its steps back to the point of entry into Firean, Zelda finally spoke.

"Goddesses of Power, Wisdom, and Courage; please return us to Hyrule!" After she finished speaking, the three were bathed in mystical light. Their bodies magically dissolved from the Firean landscape.

The Goddesses were waiting for Zelda, Zukto, and Kyoshiro in the Temple when they arrived.

"You made it back! So, do you have the Fire Scythe from Firean's Temple?" Goddess Din asked as she approached Zukto.

"Goddess Din, I present to you the Fire Scythe from Firean." Zukto pulled out the Scythe and bowed slightly. Din inspected it quickly and appeared very pleased.

"You three are off to a great start I think! You will have this entire situation dealt with in no time. I am nothing but confident now!"

"Thank you Goddesses… but what do we need to do next?" Zukto asked.

"Hm, right, I need to send you somewhere else now. Let us see… I think you need to head to Gerudo Valley next. Of course Zukto, you know all about the Valley. I know that in those ancient sands, a temple sleeps. What you seek lies within the temple." She explained. The three nodded to show they understood.

"Goddesses, we shall return with the next item." Zukto declared. With that, the group left the hidden section of the Temple and returned to the Temple of Time proper. Zelda decided that she could not put it off any longer, since they would quickly find themselves in an area patrolled by Royal Guardsmen.

"Excuse me, now that we have recovered the first artifact and we know the location of the second one, the King, His Royal Highness Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II, wishes to have an audience with you. He wants to know everything we have done up to this point, and he wants to know what we plan on doing in the future. In short, he requests a report about our journey." Zelda explained. Zukto nodded.

"This is a matter that could affect the entire Kingdom, so I understand. I think meeting with the King is not unreasonable. We might as well go now." Zukto led the way to the Castle. Even though he had only been to the Castle once before, everything about it stuck out in his mind. The Palace was one of the most impressive structures he had ever seen, and it dawned on him that now he might be able to see more of it than he did before. Zelda lagged behind slightly; she was nervous and was hoping that if she stalled, she could come up with some sort of plan.

 _What am I going to do... should I just hide somewhere? If they find out who I am, they will want to see my face... and... dammit! My Father always acts on his own without asking me first. He makes me so angry...!_

When they entered the Castle, Zelda approached a guard and began talking with him quietly. He motioned to Zukto and Kyoshiro to follow him. While they were busy, Zelda slipped off down a separate hallway.

 _Obviously my Father will already know they are here, but... I just do not want to see him. He can take care of business just fine without me there anyway._

The King rose to his feet when Zukto and Kyoshiro entered the Court Room.

"Are you the two heroes I have heard about; the heroes hand-picked by the Goddesses themselves?" King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II's powerful voice carried across the room easily, even when he spoke quietly. Zukto and Kyoshiro kneeled respectfully.

"Yes, my King. My name is Zukto. I come from a distant land, but when I arrived in Hyrule many years ago I became the pupil of the Great Sage of Spirit, Nabooru."

"Well met, Zukto. And you, my son?" Daphnes II inquired of Kyoshiro.

"Sire, my name is Kyoshiro. I am a local bounty hunter. I find rogues and law breakers and bring them to justice; I help to defend your Fair Kingdom."

"Ah, yes. I have heard of you. Know this, Zukto and Kyoshiro: your deeds do not go unrewarded. I wish to knight both of you. Effective immediately, you are Knights of Hyrule. You may stay here at the Castle whenever your travels bring you nearby. My resources, should you have need of them, are yours to command. Your mission is of great interest to the security of my Kingdom. That is why I find it appropriate to aide you in any way I can. If you could though, please divulge me with the details of your journey thus far."

The King listened closely and silently as Zukto began to explain, but something was bothering him as he listened. He questioned Zukto when he finished his report, as he could not recall Zukto ever having mentioned Zelda's involvement.

"Zukto, who is 'Azera?'"

"The female who travels with us, Your Majesty."

"… What is her race?"

"Sheikah."

"… Zukto, and Kyoshiro, I am afraid you have been deceived." The King summoned a guard to his side, whispered something to the man, and sent the guard away.

"If you would, please sit for a moment. I need to do some damage control." The King said. Zukto and Kyoshiro were a bit uneasy. They stared at each other, hoping the other one understood what was going on. Finally, the cloaked figure entered the Court Room with the guard. She seemed hesitant to get closer.

"I did not realize the extent to which you lied to these two." The King began. Zelda flinched.

 _Great, it is too late now to stop it…_

"Why do you not answer?" The King demanded.

"The truth… the truth will put them in danger." Zelda responded. Briefly, the two bloody bodies from her nightmares flashed before her eyes. She could feel her whole body tensing up.

"Lying to them puts **YOU** at risk. Stop this nonsense this instant, Princess Zelda!" The King yelled. Zukto and Kyoshiro were stunned; both because of the King's anger, and the fact that he called Azera 'Princess.'"

"I order you to reveal your face." Her father stated.

"But—"

"Silence, child! Do as I say!"

Zelda sighed. She knew that trying to talk to him further about the issue was hopeless, so she gave in.

"Zukto… Kyoshiro… there is a reason… why I always hid my face… and this is why." Zelda explained with a quivering voice. She was really worried how they would react, but it was too late to stop anything; she raised her hands to her face and pushed the hood back that had been hiding her for so long. Again, Zukto and Kyoshiro were speechless. But Kyoshiro recovered first.

"That's a badass scar." He observed. Zelda was taken aback by Kyoshiro's comment.

"Um, thank you, I guess..." She responded awkwardly. Zukto still had not recovered his ability to speak. Instead, he approached Zelda. When he was mere inches in front of her, he looked her squarely in the eyes. She stared back for a moment, but got really uncomfortable. She did not know what to do with her arms and she did not like it when people stared at her. She also wondered why her creepy red eyes were not scaring Zukto. She looked down at the ground.

"… Princess." Zukto finally said. When Zelda looked back at him, he was kneeling before her.

"I'm sorry for not knowing who you were. I have not treated you with the respect that your station deserves. Please, forgive me."

"S-stand up Zukto. You are making a fool out of yourself." Zelda muttered, looking away from him again and folding her arms.

"Zukto and Kyoshiro, as my Knights, you are bound to defend your Princess, my daughter, with your very lives. Do you accept your mission?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Kyoshiro and Zukto exclaimed in unison. Satisfied, the King dismissed the group. Zelda practically ran out of the room, but Kyoshiro ran faster than her to cut her off.

"Princess, why are you leaving?" He asked.

"I… I need to be alone." She muttered, not looking at him.

"Princess." Zukto started.

"What is it, Zukto?" Zelda sighed, turning to look at him.

"Well, I would… kind of like to know why you lied to us." He requested. Zelda sighed again.

"Come. We can talk somewhere more private." Zelda led the way to one of the many studies in the Castle. A fire was gently crackling in the fireplace.

"Sit." Zelda motioned to the many chairs situated throughout the room. Kyoshiro sat down right away in a chair that he thought would be most comfortable. Zukto did not budge, however. Zelda looked at him.

"You want to stand the whole time?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're still standing, Your Highness." He observed. Zelda sighed, but was not in the mood to argue. She sat down. Zukto only sat down after she did.

"First off, please stop treating me like that. You do not need to kneel, nor bow, you do not need to address me by my title, and you do not—" She started.

"What were you going to tell us about hiding your identity, Princess Zelda?" Zukto asked, cutting her off. Zelda fell silent for a moment.

"… You can see my face. That is why I did not tell you who I was."

"Wait, but what does that have to do with anything?" Zukto asked. Zelda was getting frustrated.

"It has everything to do with it! Had I told you, 'I am the Princess of Hyrule,' you would have asked me for proof! No Princess in the Royal Family has ever had red eyes and black hair because those traits simply do not exist in our blood line. As you and Kyoshiro correctly mentioned earlier, red eyes are not even a Hylian trait to begin with. It goes without saying that all Royal Family members are Hylian. And for the record, no, I am not manipulating my appearance with magic. This is simply what I look like."

"You know, you don't even look like your Father at all." Kyoshiro observed. Zukto found himself wondering if the comment, even if it was completely true, was a little rude.

Zelda shrugged.

"… And what about your scar?" Zukto asked.

"What about it?" She scoffed.

"Well, that is the reason you hide your face from strangers right?" Zukto asked.

"Correct."

"Plenty of people have scars, especially people who have dangerous jobs. A scar doesn't necessarily have to be something to be ashamed of. Are you ashamed of yours?"

"It is not just my scar, though my scar does indeed play a part in it. It is my entire face. I had always been reluctant to show my face around strangers, but then… before I met you…" She lowered her gaze to the floor, and her voice got really quiet.

"Yes?" Zukto pressed her, feeling concerned about how she was acting.

"I stopped a thief the very same day that you found me. We got into an altercation, and he knocked my hood off. When he saw what I looked like, he…"

"Princess, is something wrong?"

"He called me a monster!" Zelda yelled out angrily. Kyoshiro and Zukto were both stunned at her outburst. She looked like she wanted to permanently disappear.

"Hey, Z-Zelda, you don't believe what some stupid thief thinks right?" Zukto had no idea if he could change her mood, but he felt like he should try.

"This is not my fault… I never asked… I never asked to look like this!" She cried out, burying her face in her hands.

 _Why am I so different from everyone else? I just want things to go back to how they were when I was growing up in Kakariko... with mother and father... ugh! Why... why were they taken from me...? Everything got so much worse after they were killed._

"Hey, Princess, it's okay! No one here thinks you're a monster." Zukto got out of his chair and kneeled next to Zelda, trying to reassure her.

"You never actually said, now that I think about it… where did that scar come from? Were you in a fight?" Kyoshiro asked.

"I was born with it." She muttered, getting annoyed that everyone always asked her that same question. She recalled that her father was trying to convince her that she was _not_ born with it, but she had no reason to believe him.

"I can understand that you want to keep your face hidden around strangers. But may I ask that you hide it less if it is just us three out adventuring?" Zukto requested.

"Whatever. Are you happy now?" She muttered, feeling despondent.

"I am happy that you trust us. But I am not happy that you are suffering."

"You misunderstand. If it had not been for my Father, I still would not have told you who I was. What I said earlier stands: you would not have believed me even if I did. What would have been the point? Besides, Azera the Sheikah is better than Zelda the stupid Hylian Princess…"

"W-why do you say that?" Zukto was puzzled about why she was acting so self-deprecating.

"I hate my Father; I wish I had never been born the Princess. Being a Sheikah with Master Impa is preferable…" She trailed off, looking upset.

 _I never realized… there is a lot going on here that we still don't know about. I have to wonder why she hates her father, why she doesn't want to be a Princess, and then I recall her asking me about Ganondorf before… why would she care about Ganondorf? I guess I can't expect her to just tell us everything in one fell swoop…_ Zukto was disappointed that her mood had not improved at all. He decided that it might be best for them to leave her alone for the time being.

"… Princess Zelda, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize how much you struggled with. We can give you some space." Zukto stood up and made for the door to leave. He motioned at Kyoshiro to follow. They left without saying anything further. But Kyoshiro started up the conversation again after Zukto shut the door behind them.

"So what was that all about?"

"I don't know, but I guess we just have to wait. It took a while before we found out her identity, so now we'll have to wait for more of this to come to light. She looked genuinely upset, but about what we can't be sure of. Her relationship with the King is obviously strained: she seems to harbor a lot of negative feelings about him, to the point where she openly rebels against him. It's odd though, because I do not recall picking up on any animosity coming from him. Something doesn't really add up here."

"Whatever. At least she wasn't abandoned by her family." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Wh-what was that?" Zukto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ah, sorry, it was nothing." Kyoshiro casually played it off.

Zelda had not moved from the spot Zukto and Kyoshiro left her in. She was doubled over in her chair with her face buried in her hands. She started to cry softly.

 _Mom… Dad… I am sorry I could not avenge you… I feel so useless!_ She thought, with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

 _That's right, my Dear… you have every right to feel angry right now._ A voice resounded. Zelda sat straight up and looked around.

"Who is there? Answer me!"

 _I have been here the entire time, watching over you. Don't worry: we'll speak again very soon._

"Wait! Who… are you?" Zelda asked the empty room. There was no response.

Zukto and Kyoshiro were hungry, so they asked a guard where they could get something to eat in the Castle. Zukto explained that he and Kyoshiro were Knights working for the King, but since it was a decision made only this morning almost no one knew about it. Additionally, the King was busy with official business.

"Do you have any official statement from His Majesty?"

"No."

"How about proof of your connection to the Royal Family?"

"No…"

"Well, then how do I know you're—" The guard began.

"Those two are with me. They are to have access to whatever they want." Zelda explained as she suddenly appeared in the hallway. She walked up to the guard and her partners. Zukto smiled when he heard her voice.

"Princess! Yes, of course. This way." The guard signaled Kyoshiro and Zukto to follow him. Zukto motioned at Zelda to follow him. She stood still for a moment, but decided to follow them. Zukto and Kyoshiro got something to eat when they were situated in a dining hall. Zelda said she was not hungry, but she still sat with them. While they were waiting for their orders to be prepared, Zukto went back on the offensive.

"Will you promise to tell me everything about what happened to you before we met you, Princess?" Zukto requested.

"Stop calling me that."

"Your word, Princess?" Zukto insisted. She sighed.

"Fine, whatever." She muttered tersely, staring off into the distance. She had no energy to argue.

Kyoshiro looked smug about something.

"What's up with you?" Zukto asked.

"We're Knights of Hyrule! And we're heroes picked by the Goddesses; to top it all off, we get to escort the Princess of Hyrule everywhere. This is the life!" Kyoshiro beamed. Zelda frowned, but remained silent. Zukto suspected she was frowning at Kyo's comment, and not something she was thinking about. He did not blame her; Kyo had a tendency to be insensitive.

 _Hm, you know, I've never seen the Princess smile… I bet it is lovely._ Zukto thought. He smiled in his mind at the thought. He did not want anyone asking him about why he was smiling, so his face remained blank.

"… Princess, what is your true connection to the Sheikah?" He suddenly asked, remembering the story she had told them before.

"I believe that I told you that I am training under the Sage of Shadow, Master Impa. She is the leader of a faction of Sheikah who hail from Kakariko Village. I spent a lot of time with her while I was growing up."

"I see. So even if you are not a Sheikah by blood… you are one in spirit."

"I suppose you could say that. I owe Master Impa everything, after all. She was there when…" The Princess trailed off, obviously preoccupied with her memories. Zukto waited with anticipation for her to finish her thoughts out loud, but she did not.

"Anyway, do not take too long to eat. We need to leave as soon as possible because even on horseback, getting to Gerudo Valley will take a while. I shall wait for you two."

With that, Zelda excused herself from the room. Zukto and Kyoshiro ate in silence.

Zukto found the Princess after he finished eating. She was hiding beneath her hood again, and she was studying a book.

"Princess, we are ready." He said.

"Ah, Zukto. Horses are waiting for us outside."

"Why are you—" Zukto started to ask. Zelda had an idea of what he wanted to ask.

"I do not want to scare anyone in Castle Town. Let us go." She replied, cutting him off. Zelda exited the Castle, but Zukto lagged behind because he was waiting for Kyoshiro to catch up.

"Thanks for waiting! I like that you're not utterly impatient like _she_ is." Kyoshiro explained.

"You know, you need to be a little more accepting of the differences between people. Her life has been very different compared to yours or mine. You cannot reasonably expect her to act as you do." Zukto lectured.

"Oh Dear Goddesses… I get it already. You sound like my mom." Kyoshiro sighed exasperatedly as he followed the Princess outside.

When Zukto left the Castle and approached his teammates, Zelda was already neatly mounted on her horse. Zukto took a moment to study her. If she was not wearing her large cloak, which obscured everything about her, Zukto imagined her to be picturesque. He did not know how long her hair was, but he imagined it shining in the sunlight, and the wind blowing through it…

"Zukto, is your brain working? We need to leave." Zelda suddenly reminded him, interrupting his daydreaming.

"R-right." He muttered; a little embarrassed. He mounted his horse and looked at his teammates.

"Ready?" Zelda asked. The two males nodded. Zelda nudged her horse's sides with her legs, and the horse energetically trotted off. Zukto and Kyoshiro followed closely behind her. As the trio passed through Castle Town, people stopped and stared. Some of them whispered to one another. Kyoshiro imagined that he was now a well-renowned Knight and everyone was marveling at the sight of him.

 _That's right. They know who keeps them safe at night._ He thought, smiling.

As soon as they left Castle Town and crossed the drawbridge, Zelda encouraged her horse to move faster. The horse responded to her encouragement: it did not break into a full-out gallop, but it moved quickly across the uneven hills of Hyrule Field. Kyoshiro and Zukto encouraged their horses to keep up. For a while, the trip elapsed in silence. Everyone was occupied with his or her own thoughts.

The weather was very pleasant. The sun was not yet at its peak height, so it was not too hot. A light breeze ruffled the tips of the grass and the leaves of the trees. Soon enough, the horses began stopping every once in a while to graze. No one raised any objections to this because the Desert was not exactly the best location for grazing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kyoshiro broke the silence.

"So… uh, you said you trained in the Desert right? What's it like? I've never been that far before." Zukto looked momentarily intrigued by Kyoshiro's question. He could not quite figure out if it was genuine curiosity on Kyo's behalf, or if he was just bored and looking for something to do. Regardless, he was appreciative of the end of the eerie silence that had consumed the group.

"Well, for starters, it is utterly hot and dry. When the wind blows, and it blows fairly often mind you, sand flies everywhere. The sun reaches everything, and there are no trees that offer shade." Zukto explained. While what he said was very true, he also wanted to see if he could freak out Kyoshiro. It worked.

"All of that sounded awful." Kyo groaned.

"It doesn't end there. If you pass the Fortress and enter the Desert proper, there is a great risk of hallucinating. Something about the heat and the sand and your desperation; your mind plays tricks on you."

"Wait, remind me why I'm with you two again…" Kyoshiro muttered. Zukto hoped that he was only joking.

"Well hey, as you know, I've trained and lived here… I'll make sure to keep you away from the _really_ dangerous places." Zukto offered, mockingly.

"Thanks for your concern." Kyoshiro responded, with sarcasm to match Zukto's.

"Well you know Kyoshiro, Zukto was saving the best for last. Have you not heard of the legendary tribe of Gerudo women who live in the Desert?" Zelda suddenly asked. Kyoshiro's eyes widened at the news. Zukto was a little surprised at her unexpected contribution, but he welcomed it.

"Tribe of ladies? You have my interest." Kyoshiro stated. Zelda shook her head at his response. But she could not say that his eagerness was a huge surprise for her: she had expected it.

"You know, the Princess is right to bring up the tribe of Gerudo women. They are the only ones to settle the area. But Kyo… a word of caution: they're a wily bunch of ladies. Men almost never live among them. Every woman who is of age knows how to fight, because each one is expected to be able to defend her home."

"I can handle them. No sweat." Kyoshiro declared. While the two of them were talking animatedly, Zelda removed her hood from her head and pulled her long, black hair out of her cloak. It flowed gracefully behind her, like a banner, as her horse trotted along. She smiled slightly as she felt the warm sun on her face and the breeze that played with her hair. Zukto glanced back at her just then, and felt his heart skip a beat.

… _She is beautiful…_ He found himself thinking. But the thought seemed a little bittersweet. She was so close to him, and yet it was like she was not even sharing the same space or air as them. She was untouchable.

 _Well… no harm in admiring her from afar… Right?_ As Zukto quietly observed her, she quickly braided her long hair into a single braid. She clearly had a lot of practice doing this, as she could do it by herself without missing a beat and without consulting a mirror. She kept a chunk of her bangs free from the braid so that they hung in front of her face.

"Let us race!" Zelda suddenly suggested after braiding her hair, displaying an unusual amount of energy. She squeezed her horse's sides with her legs; the animal reacted by speeding past Zukto and Kyoshiro.

"Wait a second, you're cheating!" Kyoshiro cried as he tried to catch up with her. Zukto merely laughed, and began pursuing his teammates. Zelda was the first one to reach the entrance to the Valley; Kyoshiro came in dead last.

"Ha! I win!" Zelda declared triumphantly.

"I can't believe you cut me off." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Come now, be a good sport about it Kyo!" Zukto teased. He snuck a glance at the Princess; she was practically glowing with pride in her victory. The sun illuminated her features tenfold for Zukto. Zukto thought that it was suddenly harder to breathe for some reason.

"Princess… you're… you're great at handling horses." Zukto observed, tripping over his tongue in a desperate effort to talk to her.

"I had lessons when I was young." She replied, shrugging.

 _What_ _ **isn't**_ _she good at?_

"We should resume our journey: we still have a little further to go, correct?" Zelda encouraged her horse onward.

Upon entering the Valley, they found an active stream. Zelda's horse eagerly approached to drink. Zelda encouragingly pet her equine friend while she waited. After it finished, Zelda nudged her horse further to make room for Zukto's and Kyoshiro's mounts. When Zukto's horse finished, he looked around for Zelda. She was a little further ahead. It seemed like her horse was not moving, but he was not sure. He caught up with her.

"Is something wrong?"

"… The bridge is out." Zelda observed, looking down into the chasm. Zukto, slightly confused, inspected the bridge. To his horror, she was right. Now what?

"… Give me some space for a minute, okay?" Zelda asked. Zukto absentmindedly obeyed. Then the realization of what she was about to do roused him back to attention rather painfully.

"Princess, please don't do it! Your Father will have my head!" Zukto pleaded.

"My Father can rot in the Kakariko Graveyard for all I care!" Zelda yelled vehemently as she kicked her horse. The horse launched up on its hind legs, kicked at the air with its front hooves, then charged straight forward towards the chasm with powerful strides.

As it covered the last bit of solid ground, its hindquarters tightened up like springs and released. Just like that, the horse was soaring through the air. Seamlessly, it landed on the other side of the chasm. Zukto watched without breathing the whole time, but sighed with relief when he knew Zelda was safe.

Again, she looked triumphant.

"… Princess, you better not go anywhere because I'm coming right behind you!" Zukto yelled as he urged his horse to imitate Zelda's. In moments, Zukto joined Zelda on the other side of the chasm. Zelda trotted her horse up to Zukto's.

"Not bad." Zelda said. Zukto appreciated the compliment, but she looked rather smug. Zukto figured she was still mentally reveling in her stunt riding.

"Hey; what are you, a Fire Slug? Come on! We have things to do!" Zelda yelled across the chasm at Kyoshiro, who still had not moved.

"Yeah, yeah, just… give me a second… I'll go when I'm good and ready…" Kyoshiro responded, partially grumbling. Eventually, Kyoshiro and his horse made it across the chasm in one piece… physically. Kyoshiro looked terrified for his life after his horse made the jump. Zukto and Zelda laughed together when they saw his face. But Zukto abruptly stopped his laughter because he realized he had never heard Zelda laugh before. No trace of her serious demeanor could be detected in her laughter. It was clear and feminine. Zukto felt lucky to have been able to hear it. Without realizing it, Zukto began staring at Zelda again with an affectionate smile. She stopped laughing shortly after realizing she was the only one enjoying herself. She looked mortified at Zukto and Kyoshiro, who were not saying anything. And she knew that Zukto was staring at her. Her face turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment.

"Ugh, jerks!" She suddenly cried as she pulled her hood up to hide her face again and she sped off on her horse.

"Wait, Princess, you don't know your way around here! Wait up!" Zukto pleaded as he urged his horse to catch up. Kyoshiro was in no hurry to race, or jump cliffs, or play any kind of games while horseback riding. He merely encouraged his horse to trot after the other two.

Soon, Zukto and Zelda reached the Gerudo Fortress. A Gerudo guard recognized Zukto right away, and started yelling to everyone within earshot that Zukto had returned.

Before Zukto and Zelda knew what was going on, they were surrounded by Gerudo women. They were all chatting and yelling excitedly to see Zukto again. Kyoshiro and his horse finally joined the party, though Zukto and Zelda were too occupied to acknowledge him.

"You're back! Let's drink together tonight to celebrate, eh?" Nelona suggested, grinning widely. Zukto rolled his eyes. She would never change.

"Zukto…! You're back. I am so relieved…" Reta sighed happily. She was still a little put off about Zukto's sudden departure, but was willing to forgive him. Zukto was about to respond to her, but the group of Gerudo women parted suddenly to reveal Nabooru.

"Master Nabooru!" Zukto exclaimed, excitedly dismounting his horse.

"Back so soon, my pupil?" She mused.

"Master, my travels have brought me back to these sands because the Goddesses know of an ancient weapon hidden here. Will you please share anything you might know?" He explained.

"Won't you please introduce your guests?" Nabooru requested, eyeing Kyoshiro and the cloaked figure; they were still on their horses.

"R-right, I apologize. Everyone, over there is Kyoshiro. He is a Hylian from the mainland who primarily works as a bounty hunter. He finds people who break and evade the law. Essentially, he helps the local guards with controlling crime." Zukto explained. As he did, Kyoshiro dismounted and winked at some Gerudo ladies. They chuckled and whispered amongst themselves a bit.

"And this… this is Her Highness… Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule." Zukto said reverently.

As she was introduced, Zelda removed the hood from her face and dismounted her horse. Zukto stared at her again, which his friend Reta noticed. She mentally panicked.

"Dear Goddesses, you are the Princess? Your Majesty, welcome." Nabooru respectfully bowed before Zelda. Some of the other Gerudo women looked confused. Others whispered.

"… Looks like… seriously dark magic…"

"… Cursed…"

"Zukto… dangerous company…"

Even without the trademark Hylian ears, Zukto heard snatches of conversation. It was making him feel extremely uncomfortable and a little embarrassed. He thought the Gerudo were being a little rude.

 _Hmph. Even the Gerudo are doing it... I get it already, I am clearly not welcome here. Just come out and say it already._ Zelda looked away momentarily, trying to suppress her emotions. She felt simultaneously upset and angry, but neither of those emotions were appropriate for her to display in the presence of such an important person.

"Please, Sage Nabooru, do not humble yourself before me. I am the one who should bow before you; I have heard so many great things about you from my Master. It is an honor to finally talk to you in person." Zelda replied, putting all of her energy into maintaining her façade. She had to make it look like she did not hear the comments made about her.

"Your Majesty, let us go into the Fortress. We can continue our conversation when you are comfortable." Zukto filed in closely to Zelda as they headed into the Fortress. Nabooru threw a disapproving look over her shoulder at her girls when Zelda was not looking; a few of them looked terrified. Some of the guards grabbed the horses and tied them up.

After Nabooru caught up with Zukto and Zelda, she led the rest of the way to her office.

"You know, Princess Zelda, not a single Royal Family member has visited this Valley in likely a century. Your being here… it feels like a good sign to me." Nabooru began.

"A good sign, Sage Nabooru?" Zelda questioned.

"I feel like there is an overall poor conception of the Gerudo people. I've heard that a lot of people consider us nothing but a gang of thieves. But you are here now, and can observe us. Can you please bring back your observations of us to the mainland? I know it is a lofty goal, but I do not want the Gerudo to be considered uncivilized or unable to contribute to the well-being of the Kingdom."

"Your wish is my command, Honorable Sage. To start, when I am Queen, I want you to send me a Gerudo ambassador. She will be well taken care of: I can promise you that." Zelda looked thoughtful.

 _Queen…_ It was a weird thought for Zukto that Zelda would one day be Queen. But to be Queen, she needed a King… Zukto tried not to think of who she might end up with.

"Hm, no need to go out of your way Princess; my ambassador is right here." Nabooru nodded in Zukto's direction and smiled mischievously. The idea of being the Gerudo ambassador for Hyrule made Zukto's heart skip a beat.

 _I'm a Knight and an ambassador for the Gerudo? Does this mean I can see Zelda every day, even after this adventure is over?_

"Ah, yes. I should have figured that you would pick him." Zelda mused.

"I worry about my girls too much; I don't want them to leave." Nabooru explained.

"Hear that Zukto? She does not worry about you." Zelda mocked.

"Ha, that's because there is no need to worry about me." Zukto explained confidently.

"We shall see." Zelda said, somewhat ominously. Was she joking? Zukto was actually considering being afraid. He was also wondering if he was only imagining that her voice suddenly changed.

"Well, er, Master Nabooru, about that weapon…" Zukto started, a bit uneasy.

"Of course, of course. I will escort you there myself, but it is already so late. Can it wait until tomorrow? You three…" Nabooru paused and looked carefully at Zelda when she said "you three."

"… Need rest." She finished after a brief moment. Zukto could not properly explain to himself the look Master Nabooru had on her face. Was it fear?

"Right, I couldn't agree more!" Kyoshiro suddenly piped up. Zukto flinched a little due to surprise. He totally forgot about Kyoshiro.

"Hey, I have a house here. Why don't you rest at my place?" Zukto offered Kyoshiro. Kyo nodded eagerly.

"We're taking off, Master. Can you please take care of Zelda?" Zukto asked, a little apologetically.

"Of course. I don't want you to get any ideas." Nabooru taunted. Zukto felt himself reddening a little, but he did not respond. Everyone parted ways after saying their goodbyes. Zukto stole one last glance at Zelda; something seemed off to him, but he did not know what.

When Zukto and Kyoshiro arrived at Zukto's house, Kyoshiro got a tour.

"Hey, what's that up there?" Kyoshiro asked, pointing at the symbol on the ceiling.

"That is the symbol of the Spirit Sage and the Temple. It proves my affiliation with Master Nabooru."

"Hm, pretty cool…" Kyoshiro muttered. He unsheathed his long sword and sat down. It appeared to Zukto that Kyo was studying his blade, possibly for damage.

"Everything okay over there?" Zukto asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. To be honest, we did not actually fight that much last time." Kyo explained. By 'last time,' Zukto assumed Kyoshiro meant the first Temple they entered in Firean. And he was right; most of the fighting they did was against the large dragon at the end.

"Actually, speaking of that…" Kyo started.

"Yeah?"

"Want to spar with me? I need the exercise and want to be in prime shape for tomorrow." Kyo explained, grinning. He seemed really eager.

"Sure. If you follow me, we can use the Gerudo Training Ground's facilities to practice. I think it will do both of us some good." Zukto explained. They wasted no time in heading out.

Nabooru brought Zelda to the best guest room she had available. She explained where everything was.

"Don't hesitate to find me in case something happens." Nabooru said. Zelda merely nodded silently. Nabooru was not sure how to react; the Princess _seemed_ engaged earlier, but now it seemed like she was tuning everything out. Her gaze was different too.

"… Princess, I am sorry for prying, but about that scar…" Nabooru began.

"What about it?!" Zelda suddenly yelled, angrily. Nabooru flinched; she had not expected that reaction.

"I apologize, Princess. Please come find me if you need something." Nabooru apologized, and decided to leave Zelda alone; she was unsure how wise that decision was.

Zelda did not move for a while. But as soon as she was sure Nabooru was really gone, she immediately snuck out of the Fortress.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for letting _me_ take over finally. Ahh, this feels so great to stretch my legs after so long!" Zelda twirled around a bit, displaying a more carefree attitude. When she was finished, she studied the area around the Fortress. She noticed that a large, heavy gate was shut. She was immediately interested in what was beyond the gate. Most gates were controlled remotely, so she looked around the area for where the controls might be. She spotted a tower near the gate; she closed her eyes and focused on the tower.

"Ah, I see you there… well, no one will notice if I just go for a little walk…" She muttered to herself as she opened her eyes again. She focused her mind on the lever she saw in the tower, and flipped it using her magic. The gate opened!

"I love my host. Our powers complement each other so very well!" She chuckled a bit, and ran off past the gate into the Gerudo Desert.

After a while, a Gerudo guard requested an audience with Nabooru.

"Is everything okay?" Nabooru asked.

"Well, um… the gate... was opened." She stumbled.

"The gate? Why? How do you know?"

"Well, whoever opened it did not shut it after they opened it."

"Have you asked around? Who opened it?"

"We have no idea. Everyone I know has either been resting or hanging out. No one, as far as I can tell, was manning the gate." After the guard was finished explaining, Nabooru sat there for a moment, puzzled.

"… Follow me. Now." Nabooru suddenly demanded. The guard was a little worried, but she was sure Nabooru's change of attitude was not because of any failure on her part. The two ran through the Fortress to where Nabooru left Zelda. Her suspicions were confirmed: Zelda was not there.

"Has anyone seen the Princess? Go ask everyone you can find to search for her. Leave a couple of ladies here to keep an eye out… but I fear the Princess is the one who opened the gate and left." Nabooru's usual calm and carefree demeanor gave way to a much more serious and urgent one; she ran off to find Zelda before it was too late.

 _Should I tell Zukto about this? But if I can just find her before he notices she is gone…_

After a few hours, a tired Zukto and Kyoshiro agreed to call it quits for the night.

"You know, for just an archer, you're pretty good." Kyoshiro said between his heavy breathing. He rubbed his sweaty forehead with his arm.

"Yeah? Well, for a guy who carries a ridiculously large weapon you can move pretty fast." Zukto replied. Zukto reached out a hand. Kyoshiro looked at it a moment before grinning.

"For the most part, I like you." Kyoshiro declared.

"Yeah? Good to hear it." Zukto mused.

"Let's pass out. I'm tired." Kyoshiro yawned.

"I don't blame you." The two left the Gerudo Training Grounds. Once outside, Zukto looked around. The sun had set now entirely; the Valley was nearly too dark to navigate without a torch. He grabbed one for good measure, and lit it. When he did, he noticed a guard pacing around oddly.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Zukto asked.

"… Zukto!? Where in Hyrule have you been?!"

"Uh, er, Kyo and I were training…" Zukto was suddenly worried about doing something wrong.

"Training? There's no time for that! Not when the Princess is missing!"

"… Wait. Hold on a second. The _Princess is missing_? Are you sure about that?!" Zukto felt like a rock just dropped into his stomach.

"Master Nabooru is. She took a small team a couple of hours ago into the Desert to look for her. Things… don't seem too good right now." The girl said gravely. Zukto was horrified. He was going to explain to Zelda and Kyo how to safely travel through the Gerudo Desert, but he assumed he would do it when the three of them traveled together. He did not guess that Zelda would just wander off into the unknown by herself, although he immediately felt stupid for that because it seemed like something she did fairly often.

"… Who let her past the gate?" Zukto suddenly asked.

"… That's the thing: nobody did… Master thinks she let herself past the gate."

"… Let me and Kyoshiro through the gate. Now." Zukto sounded scary. The guard immediately complied.

"Kyoshiro, we **have** to find the Princess. It's our job as Knights."

"You don't have to remind me twice!"

"Good. Now, this is really, really important… you have to follow me. Understand? Do not wander off _anywhere_. I am really, really serious about this." Zukto felt like he could not explain himself well enough right now. He was stressed out, and afraid…

"Chill man. I got your back. Literally. Lead the way." Kyoshiro responded. Zukto felt a little better.

"Oh yeah, take these." Zukto handed Kyoshiro some goggles. Kyoshiro looked at them funny, but Zukto reassured him that they would help immensely with navigating through the Desert.


	9. Unexpected Encounters in the Desert

The two heroes charged into the Desert in search of Zelda.

"Now, Kyoshiro, this is _really_ important… there are posts erected throughout the Desert. The posts have large, red cloth tied to them. If you see such a post, you _must_ walk towards it. They mark the only safe path through the Desert. Just to be safe, when you approach the post, reach out your hand and touch it. That way, you can check to make sure that the post is real and not a hallucination." Zukto explained. Kyoshiro concentrated to make sure he understood everything.

"But wait a second; it is dark right now. And I think it might even get darker. How the hell can you see anything?" Kyoshiro asked incredulously.

"… Granted, you have a point… I guess right now, I'm banking on the fact that I spent so much time going back and forth through this part of the Desert." Zukto replied.

"So I have to rely on your memory? Well… if there is no other way… I'm still behind you." Kyoshiro declared. Zukto felt like a thousand rupees.

"Excellent! Come, this way!"

Further ahead in the Desert, Nabooru gathered her team together.

"I saw no one the entire time we searched; what about you?" She asked. A lot of guards muttered together.

"I don't think we saw anyone, Master Nabooru." One guard replied apologetically.

"Well… ruling out the fact that the Princess might be… well, ruling out that fact, we still have somewhere to look." Nabooru skipped over the unpleasant part. She knew that Zukto would never hear of it. Some of the guards nodded in agreement.

"I've worked you really hard today, and I apologize. If half of you want to head home now, I will allow it. The half of you that remains with me will not have to stand guard or do other work tomorrow as my way of thanking you for your efforts." Nabooru explained. The girls immediately thanked Nabooru, and split into two smaller groups. Some of them made their way back home. Nelona was one of the girls who remained with Nabooru.

… _Where the hell is Zukto? I have not seen him for hours. He should be out here with us._ Nelona frowned.

As Zukto and Kyoshiro made progress through the Desert, they met with the group of Gerudo guards heading home.

"Ah, Zukto, there you are! I was wondering if we were going to have to start looking for _you_ next." One Gerudo woman joked.

"Y-yeah… I'm sorry… my friend and I got caught up in our training, and we didn't find out until a little while ago that the Princess went into the Desert by herself."

"Oh yeah; I might as well explain now. Master Nabooru is pretty sure that your friend is nowhere in this part of the Desert. Master suspects that the girl found her way to the Desert Colossus. Further, we were told that half of the group is allowed to rest. That's why some of us are going home. Trust us: there is still a group out there looking for your friend. Let us know how everything goes!" As the guard finished explaining, she waved and took off to catch up with the other guards.

"… The Desert Colossus…" Zukto muttered.

"Is anything wrong?" Kyoshiro asked.

"No. Nothing's wrong, except the obvious of course. The Desert Colossus is where the Spirit Temple resides."

"… Maybe that's where our next weapon is?" Kyoshiro offered.

"I figured as much, but what bothers me is why Zelda felt the need to go there by _herself_. She did not even know her way through the Desert; or at least, that's what I assumed. As far as I know, she has never been here. I lived here for the last eight years, so I can speak confidently about the fact that the Princess has not visited or spent time here." Even though Zukto was sure of himself, something was nagging at the back of his mind. But he was too busy to pursue it.

"Who knows what in the Goddesses' names she was thinking." Kyoshiro muttered.

"At any rate, we need to hurry. The sooner we find her, the better." Zukto sighed. Kyo nodded in agreement.

Nabooru and her small group of Gerudo guards stopped at the Oasis outside of the Spirit Temple to rest.

"If you see anything, let me know straight away." Nabooru requested. It went without saying, but the Gerudo nodded. Nabooru sat down on the ground, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. She began concentrating. Just as she started to get a feel for the different levels of magic power in the area, her concentration was destroyed by a single realization.

"G-girls…! G-Ganondorf is here!" Nabooru gasped. All of the guards tensed up.

"W-what do we do?"

"… I want you to go back to the Fortress immediately. You will be safest there. Please, do as I say." The small group of women looked at each other nervously. They knew how Nabooru felt about Ganondorf, which made them want to stay to support her, but they also knew what Ganondorf was capable of. In the end, they hesitantly obeyed Nabooru and left. They figured that it would be more important to support Nabooru in the long run; after all, no matter what Ganondorf did to Nabooru, he would not kill her. When she returned to the Fortress, she would expect her guards to be there for her.

Zukto and Kyoshiro, as they entered the Colossus, passed the second group of guards. Zukto looked curiously at them, but no one said anything. Finally, Nelona stopped and explained.

"Master is waiting for you ahead. You must speak with her personally; things are pretty serious, it seems. Keep your wits about you." She warned. Zukto and Kyoshiro exchanged glances after this somewhat cryptic message, but they wasted no time in finding Nabooru.

"Ah, Zukto, there you are. I would say better late than never, but now is not the time for joking around." Nabooru said gravely.

"Did… did something happen?" Zukto asked hesitantly.

"… Ganondorf is here. I am familiar enough with him that I can sense him when he is nearby."

"… What about… What about Zelda…?"

"I have not seen her. She is either right outside of the Temple, or perhaps she went in. But we need to get closer. Follow close behind me and be as silent as possible." Nabooru explained. Zukto and Kyoshiro obeyed. The whole time, Zukto was afraid his pounding heart would give them away.

 _Ganondorf is here? Why now? He has not visited this place in nearly a decade, at least to my knowledge. Did Zelda know he would be here? I remember her asking me about him, but of course she never explained why she would care about him. I have heard that Ganondorf possesses powerful magic, and a short temper. I hope they have not started fighting; I fear for her safety if that was to happen. Oh Goddesses, please keep her safe until I find her…_

They stopped at a large, stone archway that stood before the Spirit Temple. It was incredibly dark, so they could not see much. But Kyoshiro surprised everyone.

"… Whoah, whoah, you guys… I can hear someone speaking." He whispered. Zukto whirled around and stared at Kyoshiro expectantly.

"Well?! What do you hear? I don't hear anyone talking except us."

"Well, you don't have the Hylian ears, you know. But anyway, let me focus for a second…" Kyoshiro fell silent. Zukto practically held his breath in anticipation.

"… I can't hear _everything_ , but it sounds like… a guy is really excited to meet someone for the first time." Kyoshiro explained.

"A guy? So someone _is_ here? Keep listening." Zukto prompted. Kyoshiro paused for a moment.

"… A female's voice now. She says that it has been too long since she could move about 'in this world.'"

"… Well, that is a little… odd… but go on."

"The guy is trying to make a deal with her. He says he needs her help."

"What is she saying?"

"She can't promise anything because her 'other half' is not willing to cooperate."

"… Other half…?"

"Don't look at me! Oh hey wait… there's a new voice. Also male."

"What is he saying?" Zukto waited for Kyo's response. Kyo fell unnaturally quiet.

"… Should we run for it?" Kyoshiro suddenly asked. Zukto did not like the sound of Kyo's question but he asked for an explanation anyway.

"Why?"

"They know we are here." Kyoshiro responded. Zukto had to admit that he was not terribly surprised.

"We have no reason to run. We will just explain that we are looking for a friend. And that is the truth. Maybe they can help us, even." Zukto explained. Nabooru agreed with Zukto on principle, but she was worried about a confrontation.

Within a few moments, everyone could hear footsteps approaching through the sand. Nabooru tried to steady her breathing; it was Ganondorf. The aura of dark energy approaching was unmistakably his.

"Who goes there?" A deep, sinister voice questioned. Nabooru shivered; it was Ganondorf's voice. Zukto and Kyoshiro, however, were still ignorant to this fact.

"Excuse me, but my friends and I here are looking for someone. This person has been lost in the Desert for a while now. Maybe you can help us?" Zukto asked.

"Lost? In the Desert? Boy, your friend is likely dead." The male scoffed.

"Not likely." Zukto responded calmly.

"… Nabooru, come here." The voice requested. Nabooru looked at Zukto pleadingly, before doing as the voice asked.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Why are you dragging around these two?"

"They came to the Fortress and started asking me some questions about the Temple here. I don't know why. I only answered them vaguely because I don't know their motives." Nabooru lied.

"And let me guess, this missing person is part of their group?"

"Yes. Since I know this Desert so well, I figured it was only natural that I help them."

"What does this missing person look like?"

"It is a woman. She has black hair and red eyes." Nabooru explained. Ganondorf's face remained stoic.

"… I am sorry; I have not seen such a person." Ganondorf lied. Zukto had a feeling something was up, so he did the only thing he could think of.

"Zelda! It's me, Zukto!" He yelled as loud as he could. Ganondorf glared at Zukto, though it was too dark for anyone to see. Further from Zukto's group at the arch, a pair of people near the entrance to the Temple had been conversing. Zukto's yelling startled them; the man spoke first.

"… Zukto?! My brother? So he is here, then…" He seemed amazed. The woman still had not regained her composure.

"… Is something the matter?" The man asked. He approached the woman and laid a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the woman sprung to life and tried to attack! He stumbled backwards, just barely avoiding the surprise attack.

"Whoah, calm down Princess. We were just having a discussion about a business proposition…" He explained.

"Get **away** from me! And who are you?!" Zelda yelled. Zukto felt relieved to finally hear her voice, but then he grew worried. Was she in danger? Without saying anything, he tore past Ganondorf in an effort to reach Zelda. Ganondorf was taken by surprise at first, but when he recovered he was unsure what to do. He finally decided to raise an arm and charge up a magic attack in the palm of his hand. He aimed at Kyoshiro.

"Do not move, boy." He threatened. Kyoshiro obeyed. Nabooru felt terrible that she could not help Kyo: she had to continue to pretend that she was working for Ganondorf. Thankfully, she quickly came up with an idea.

"My Lord, do not waste your time with him. Allow me to keep him occupied." She offered, drawing her blades for show. Ganondorf stopped to consider the option.

"Very well. Do not let him move an inch." Ganondorf headed in the direction that Zukto ran in. When Ganondorf was far enough away, Nabooru hastily whispered to Kyoshiro that Ganondorf was immensely powerful and that she was forced to obey him. Kyo nodded, and asked her if they could do anything to help Zukto and Zelda.

"Princess, I'm coming!" Zukto yelled. Zelda felt relieved to hear a familiar voice.

"Whoever you are, you better back off. When Zukto gets here…" She warned. The man laughed.

"Zukto, my dear brother, come join me…!" He requested to the area at large. Zukto literally stopped in his tracks for a moment. Zelda did too.

 _What in the… Zukto has a brother!? And he is here?_

 _No way… my_ _ **brother**_ _has the Princess?!_ _ **This**_ _is where he has been all this time?!_ He ran even faster. Finally, he could see two figures standing across from one another in front of the Temple. He stopped when he could distinctly discern which figure was Zelda and which figure was his brother.

"Ah Zukto, it has been far too long… Although, I wonder… is it a mere coincidence that you and I have been finally reunited here?" The man asked, chuckling to himself as he ran a hand through his long hair nonchalantly.

Kkladekk and Zukto, being brothers, shared a few similar physical characteristics with each other. Both had the same shade of brown hair, though Kkladekk's hair appeared to be longer than Zukto's. Their eyes were the same shape and color, and they were about the same height. Zukto's build was more muscular, however, in contrast with Kkladekk's.

"Brother, why did you kidnap Zelda?" Zukto pressed, glaring daggers at him.

"Kidnap? Oh no, my dear brother, you misunderstand. Your friend came to me of _her own free will_." Kkladekk explained smugly.

"That's a lie!"

"Oh yeah? Why don't you ask your friend yourself?" Kkladekk smirked. His voice was taunting.

"… Zelda… did you… come here by yourself?" Zukto slowly asked.

"Zukto, please, you have to believe me. I-I do not remember! I do not remember anything! I remember arriving at the Fortress, and I remember talking with Nabooru, but all of a sudden my memory does not exist after that. I have never seen this place before in my life; I do not know how I got here! Also, I do not know who this man is!" Zelda explained desperately. It was obvious that she was distressed; more so than she had ever been around Zukto before. Zukto believed her, but the fact that she could not remember the last several hours was extremely troubling for him. How was she able to cross the Desert in such a condition?

Kkladekk remained silent throughout her explanation. The look on his face was a mixture of rage and amusement.

"Your performance is admirable Zelda, but I do not buy it." He said darkly. Just then, Ganondorf returned.

"Kkladekk, I am here. Need my help with these two?" He asked gruffly. As he spoke, an icy dread spread throughout Zelda's body. She looked over in the direction of his voice, barely able to breathe. It was him.

"What's wrong with her?" Kkladekk asked, pointing at Zelda. Ganondorf looked over at her.

"… She regained her control. The other one could not suppress the host any longer, it seems." Ganondorf explained. Kkladekk swore under his breath.

"Brother, this is entirely your fault. You awakened the host. I was just about to finish something _incredibly_ important. How in the name of Charcai do you plan on making it up to me?!" Kkladekk yelled.

"I owe you nothing. First and foremost, it is my job to protect Zelda. Everything else comes second!" Zukto declared, getting mentally prepared to fight; he would not hesitate to battle against a family member, given the circumstances. Zelda finally snapped out of her distress due to Zukto's words. It would be better it seemed, in this scenario, to fight first and ask questions later. She got into a defensive stance, ready to support Zukto.

Even though she was prepared to fight, memories were surging back to the front of her mind. Her dead parents, the fight she got into just months before, the nightmares... part of her questioned whether she was in any shape to be fighting, but she had no choice. Suddenly, Ganondorf grunted in pain and interrupted her thoughts.

"Why you—" He snapped. He was kneeling on the ground, holding his side. Blood was slowly trickling out of a wound and onto his hand.

"Finally, the group is back together!" Kyoshiro loudly declared as he sauntered up to take a place close to Zukto and Zelda. The three of them stared at Kkladekk expectantly, daring him to make a move. Having the group together somehow filled Zelda with courage. She pushed her memories aside and glared with determination at their adversaries; if Kyoshiro was bold enough to directly attack the Great King of Evil, then surely she could also take a stand against him.

"… I am not so stupid as to pick a fight when I am clearly outnumbered. Ganondorf, we must leave now. I fear our business will have to be postponed." Kkladekk ran over to Ganondorf, and the two disappeared with a flourish of magical energy. Zelda collapsed to her knees, feeling all of the energy leave her body in a rush.

"Princess!" Zukto ran over to Zelda and kneeled down to be level with her.

"… Was so… scared…" She muttered, burying her face in her hands. Ganondorf's intense stare pierced through her mind still.

"Shh, Princess, everything is going to be okay now…" Zukto said soothingly. Nabooru finally rejoined them.

"… We need to talk." She said. She sounded very serious.

"Here? Now? The Princess needs a break. Can't we get her back, and then—" Zukto began.

"Everyone, into the Temple **now**." Nabooru demanded. Kyoshiro did not object. Zukto nudged Zelda to stand up, but she either could not or did not want to. She remained on her knees staring at nothing in particular. Zukto looked at Nabooru for help.

"You're a man, aren't you? Just pick her up already. Hurry up." Nabooru looked exasperated, but she said nothing further. She followed Kyoshiro into the Temple. Zukto looked a little flustered, but he took a deep breath and bent down so he could be level with Zelda's face.

"Hey, mind helping me out? If you will not, or cannot, walk, then I need to carry you. I don't want to hurt you, so it would be easiest if you could stand up for me before I try to pick you up." Zelda wordlessly looked up at Zukto, obviously thinking about what he just said to her. He reached out a hand towards her, and she hesitantly grabbed it.

Zukto gently pulled her into a standing position before scooping her up into his arms. He stood still and held the Princess in his arms for a moment, wondering if the entire situation was merely a dream he was having.

"… Princess?" Zukto began.

"… Yes?" Zelda responded, sounding drained.

"Let me know if it feels like you are slipping."

"Fine…"

"I promise we will get you somewhere safe to rest soon." Zukto explained, blushing. She did not say anything. He entered the Temple where Nabooru was waiting.

"It took you long enough." Nabooru sighed when she saw Zukto.

"… Master, what is going on? You are never this…"

"Zukto, I am sorry. But I have some information for you and it is serious. Listen. It involves all of you, but mostly the Princess."

"We're listening."

"Okay, well, let's start with what you know. What do you know about that scar on Zelda's face?"

"All she said was that she was born with it..."

"She said that, but that doesn't mean it's the truth. Marks like that don't just magically end up on a child's face in the womb. I was upset at my girls earlier because I overheard them gossiping about the mark on the Princess' face, but they have a point: that mark can only be the result of being subjected to _seriously dark_ magic; more specifically, that scar is the sign of a _curse_. Someone laid a curse on the Princess." Nabooru explained. At first Zukto was too stunned to respond, but he suddenly remembered overhearing the conversation Zelda had with the Leader of the Firean tribe. He forgot all about hearing the word 'cursed…' Back then, Zelda had written it off as the Temple being cursed. But now everything made sense.

"…I actually did overhear something like that before, but I did not understand it at the time." Zukto nodded to show he understood Nabooru's explanation.

"This cannot have just been some kind of an accident, and it most certainly did not happen before she was born. Princess, do you mind telling us exactly what happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened? All I can remember growing up is my face looking like this. I have no other memories. I have explained this dozens of times already: I was born like this." Zelda was exasperated.

"…If you don't mind my asking, Princess Zelda… are there holes in your memories?" Nabooru asked softly. Zukto glanced over at Nabooru with a start.

"…Yes. Lately, I find myself being unable to remember several things from my past." She responded matter-of-factly.

 _Oh! That's right. The Princess herself admitted to me that she could not remember wandering through the Desert! Then it must be true that her memory has somehow been affected._ Zukto was nervous about where this conversation was headed.

"…I thought so. We don't know exactly what the curse does, but I think one of the side effects is that the curse is warping your memories. Zelda, the way I see it is that the curse _does not want you to remember_ what you used to look like." Nabooru's face looked grave.

"Th-that… is the most ridiculous thing…" Zelda muttered to herself, not looking at anyone.

"So, who attacked you?" Kyoshiro asked.

"…Don't tell me… did Ganondorf do this?!" Zukto blurted out. Everyone stared at him except Zelda.

"G-Ganondorf? I didn't realize he was capable of such advanced magic…" Nabooru's face fell.

"…I had been searching for Ganondorf for a couple of years. One day, Master Impa told me that she found out some information about his current whereabouts. I never hesitated for a second: I went straight to where she told me he could be found, and he was indeed there. I provoked him because I wanted to fight him. He did hurt me, but none of my injuries from that fight were fatal. I cannot remember him leaving this mark on my face… but if that fight was indeed how I came to bear this scar on my face, then it must have been Ganondorf. I have never fought with anyone else who would seek to permanently mark me so." Zelda looked tormented.

"So it likely was Ganondorf, then… but this magic is just not magic that he could have learned from around here. He seems to be working with that other guy, Kkla-Kkladekk… maybe he taught Ganondorf that magic?" Nabooru guessed.

"… Kkladekk…" Zukto muttered to himself, suddenly realizing that their journey was going to be more dangerous than he had anticipated.

"So you know him then." Nabooru observed.

"… Kkladekk is my brother; my older brother." Zukto explained. Nabooru looked questioningly at Zukto.

"Oh hey, I remember now: Goddess Din told us that one of the members of that organization called 'Darkness Orb' was named Kkladekk. So she meant that your brother was a part of it? Why didn't you speak up sooner? Your brother is our enemy; you weren't trying to defend him or anything, were you?" Kyoshiro crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking expectantly at Zukto.

"No, I swear to you on my life Kyoshiro that I am not trying to defend anything that my brother does. I almost didn't want to believe Goddess Din when she said it, because my brother never struck me as the type to scheme up anything wicked. To top it off, I have been stuck here in Hyrule for eight years as you know; I kind of had given up hope that I would see my family again. It indeed appears to be the case that my brother is involved in all of this in a big way, though I still do not understand _how_ he came to be involved."

"Well anyway, it seems obvious to me that Kkladekk is no friend to Hyrule or her people. He has something dangerous in mind." Nabooru looked concerned.

"What I want to know is why the Princess started a fight with the so-called Great King of Evil." Zukto asked suddenly.

"… Princess, are you still with us?" Nabooru asked. _I would love to know the answer to that question, too. Challenging Ganondorf was way too risky a move._

"…Yes." She responded quietly.

"Care to explain what is going on?" Nabooru continued.

"I… cannot say." Zelda shook her head. Zukto could tell that she had been hesitating; there was likely something that she was hiding from them, still.

"We have a serious situation on our hands, and yet you won't come clean?" Nabooru sounded frustrated.

"What are you saying, a serious situation? I am just fine, okay?" Zelda snapped.

"…Is that you talking, or is it your other self?" Nabooru suddenly asked. Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow, and Zukto's eyes widened.

"Did you say 'other self?' What do you mean by that, Master Nabooru?"

"When you first introduced Zelda to us back at the Fortress, she seemed very engaged in the conversation. I thought she seemed sincere and even a little friendly. But all of a sudden when we all separated for the night, she changed. Zelda got quite hostile with me, so I decided to give her some space. I guess as soon as I left her, she decided to run out here to the Colossus to meet with Ganondorf and Kkladekk. The reason she came out here to meet them was because there seems to be someone else living inside of her mind. That someone else must have been who opened the gate, and who traveled through the Desert unaccompanied. That's why Zelda claimed that she could not remember how she got to the Colossus: she never actually came here of her own will. Zelda's other personality must have taken control of her mind and brought her here. If you need further proof… Kyoshiro, didn't you say when you overheard the conversation earlier that a woman said her 'other half' would not cooperate?"

"Oh, yeah, I nearly forgot about that." Kyoshiro responded.

"Well there you have it: Zelda's body somehow is playing host to two very different people." Nabooru looked mystified, but Zukto could swear her face also had a hint of 'of course this is happening.'

"… Ah… there might be something else… Zukto, remember when… you first asked me at the Castle about why I had been hiding my identity? After you and Kyoshiro left me, I… I heard a voice speaking to me. But there was no one in the room…" Zelda suddenly rejoined the conversation. Zukto watched Zelda carefully as she spoke, but when she finished he turned to Nabooru to gauge her reaction.

"You are hearing voices? That voice must belong to whoever shares your body. And I guess that when your other self emerges, you have no recollection of what happens." Nabooru looked pensive.

"Princess… I'm so sorry…" Zukto muttered.

"Whatever…" Zelda sighed.

"Sorry for divulging all of these… personal details Princess, but if you are going to continue working with Zukto and Kyoshiro they need to know about these things. Don't you think?" Nabooru prompted.

"Talk about me all you want; see if I care. Oh, Zukto, put me down right now." Zelda suddenly demanded. She sounded angry.

"No, I will not. You could not even stand a moment ago. And now we need to walk back through the Desert. You are in no condition to walk through the Desert yourself right now."

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do! Why does everyone do that?! I can make decisions for myself!" Zelda yelled. Considering that most of the time she was too busy lost in her own thoughts to even hold dialogue with someone else, seeing her angry was hard for Zukto to deal with mentally.

 _Such disrespect. Why don't you let me take over again, hm? I can straighten them out for you…_

"N-no! Get out of my head! Who are you?!" Zelda yelled, this time at seemingly nothing. She clutched at her head. Zukto looked scared.

"She mentioned a voice earlier. It must be the voice again; her other self is talking to her." Nabooru explained.

"What do we do?!" Zukto asked, panicking.

"… We need her to calm down. I'm worried that stressful situations might provoke these… attacks, if you will." Nabooru's composure was uncanny, but it made her a natural-born leader in serious situations. Zukto was immensely grateful for her help; already, he felt himself calming down.

"Princess. It's me, Zukto. You need to relax. I will not let anything happen to you. I just want you to be safe. Please, let me help you…" Zukto muttered to Zelda. The grip she had on her head seemed to relax a bit.

"Zukto… I…" Her arms went limp and she did not say anything else.

"Princess?! Zelda, please, say something…!" Zukto pleaded.

"Zukto, stop. I think she is so exhausted that she blacked out. We need to get her back to the Fortress. Be very careful with her." Nabooru warned. Zukto thought the warning was unnecessary, as he was obligated by the King of Hyrule to be just that. The group left the Temple as fast as possible.

When the exhausted group finally reached the Fortress, the sun was rising.

"Zukto, I know none of you planned on last night turning into what it did, but you three should probably come to expect… unexpected detours. I sense that everything going on right now is interconnected, and none of it will simply cease to be an issue of its own volition." Nabooru advised.

"Yeah… well… it might not have been a total loss…" Zukto muttered, thinking about Zelda. She had not moved since she blacked out in the Temple.

"… Follow me. I'll show you where we can let Zelda rest."

"… With all respect Master, I really want to keep an eye on her. She can stay with me." Zukto said. He felt a little embarrassed about being so upfront, but it was also kind of empowering. Nabooru looked amused.

"Don't take advantage of her now." She teased. Her attitude had done an about face. Honestly though, it was normal for Nabooru to make jokes. Zukto turned red.

"I would never be so cowardly!" He declared defensively as he headed home. Instead, Kyoshiro ended up following Nabooru.

Zukto immediately laid Zelda on his bed when he got home. While she was not particularly heavy, Zukto noticed that his arms were really stiff and sore from having to maintain one position for so long, with weight they were not accustomed to carrying. The next couple of days might be a little more difficult, he noted. He found a chair and pulled it up to the side of his bed. At first he sat in the chair at Zelda's side to watch her, but fatigue soon caught up with him and he fell asleep.

Zukto was awoken suddenly—he did not know what time it was—because there was a lot of movement near him. He raised his head off his chest to assess the situation. Zelda appeared to be asleep still, but she was muttering and tossing around in her sleep.

 _Is she having a dream…? Should I wake her…?_ Zukto thought with uncertainty.

"M-mom… dad… no…" Zelda cried out softly. Zukto felt like someone took one of his arrows and jabbed it straight through his heart. He could not sit there silently and watch anymore. He reached out a hand to touch Zelda's shoulder so he could shake her gently.

"Princess? Princess Zelda, wake up…" He muttered quietly. Her eyes flew open and she quickly sat up.

"Whereami?!" She panicked, breathing heavily.

"Princess, you need to calm down. It's just me, Zukto. You're at my house."

"… What in the hell…" She muttered as she let herself fall back onto the bed. She covered her face with one of her arms.

"I do not actually know what time it is, or what day it is. I assume it's late the same day we returned from the Desert. But last night, I think anyway, was really rough for all of us." Zukto explained. Zelda did not say anything for a while.

"… Ganondorf killed my parents." She finally said, almost too quietly for Zukto to hear.

"B-but, your Father is still alive. We saw him… didn't we?"

"… That is not my Father." Zelda responded harshly.

"I am sorry Princess, but I just simply do not understand what is going on."

"… According to the King, my Father, I am his daughter by birth. I was born in the Castle. But I was not raised there."

"… Really? Then where… oh, this is just a guess; were you raised in Kakariko?"

"Yes. I guess you pay attention a little. At any rate, I was raised in Kakariko. And not only that, I was raised with a different name than Zelda, and I was never told that I was the Princess of Hyrule. I was utterly sheltered from my identity. Until…"

"Until?"

"I… came home one day… and my parents… were dead. They had been murdered." Zelda could barely get the words out. Zukto's heart sank.

"I… wow, I just cannot imagine what that must have been like…"

"I am… not finished. After that, Master Impa approached me for the first time. She said I must train with her. At the time, I did not really understand what it meant. But it did mean, for me, that I had a pseudo replacement for the parents I just lost. Master Impa was there for me when no one else was.

But again… like always, just as things were going smoothly with my training, the King suddenly appeared in town one day. At that point, my parents had been dead for several years. He finds me, and drops the bomb on me that I am actually the heir to the Hylian throne and that I must join his family in the Palace immediately. I had lived about a decade and a half. I was really frustrated with people just showing up whenever it was convenient for them to tell me what I should do with _my_ life.

I only went with him because Master Impa insisted. But every chance I could, I snuck out of the Palace and went back to Kakariko. It was actually really recently, maybe a few months before you found me, that Master Impa took me aside and revealed to me where I could find my parents' murderer. Of course, when I found out I…" Zelda trailed off.

"You do not have to continue if you do not want to, Princess. I… appreciate you telling me all that you did. Now I can fully understand how hard it has been for you."

"Do not say that. I hate it when people say they understand, because they do not. They only assume that they do. How could they…?" Zelda looked torn. Zukto did not know how to respond. He did not want to make her more upset, but how could he try to comfort her when she talked like that? She appeared to disapprove of sympathy.

"Oh, um, Princess… what was going on when I woke you up?" Zukto asked tentatively. The atmosphere was still tense, but he was genuinely concerned. It was a hard position to be in.

"… I have had the same dream continuously for several years now. I dream about the day that I found my parents dead in our house." She answered. It was not abrupt but it was still oddly devoid of any emotion, given the subject. With this, Zelda sat up again and drew her knees to her chest. She laid her head down on her knees.

 _I have to help her calm down… Right? It would be wrong to leave her like this wouldn't it? But she has surely been in a state like this before…_

"Hey, Princess…" Zukto began. Maybe changing the subject would work.

"… What?" She did not sound angry, but she did not sound thrilled at the idea of questions either.

"You said part way through your story that you had lived for a decade and a half. How long ago were you fifteen?" Zukto could not help but be curious. Honestly, he felt like he would completely fail to even guess what her age was. To Zukto's surprise, she actually raised her head off her knees to look at him.

"That seems like a pointless question." She still looked a little upset, but it did not appear as though she had been crying.

"Well… mind humoring me?"

"… I am twenty now." Zelda responded, a little on guard. Zukto was a little surprised.

"You are twenty? And the King lets you wander around like this? Don't you… I mean, are you…" Zukto could not spit the question out. He could feel his face reddening a little. Zelda looked confused at first, but soon enough her face lit up with realization.

"You want to know whether I am going to be married soon, do you not?" She asked. Zukto could not tell what the look on her face meant. He nodded slowly.

"I do not know why it concerns someone like you, but no. I have no plans to marry anyone."

"Don't you have to marry, you know, to be…?" Zukto could not complete his thoughts out loud because he was too embarrassed about the subject matter. Zelda looked frustrated.

"I do not need another man in my life telling me what to do. I have too many of those already." She scoffed. Zukto looked slightly shocked at first, but could not help laughing. At first it was slight, but the more he thought about what she said, the funnier it was.

"What in Nayru's name is so amusing to you?!" Zelda glared a bit at him.

"I did not realize you were so popular with the opposite sex, Princess." Zukto teased. Zelda's eyes widened in shock, but the shock soon gave way to embarrassment. Her face turned a bright red color.

"I-I said no such thing! You are putting words in my mouth!" Zelda cried. Zukto had to admit that it was adorable when she was flustered.

"So what did you mean then?"

"… I have had suitors in the past. But I scared them off. All. of. them." Zelda purposely paused between words to better emphasize her point. She was obviously trying to scare him off, too.

"Might you divulge details of such adventures?"

"Hm, why not. Typically when a suitor came to the Palace to meet with me, I would tell him that I was studying magic."

"Mhm, and then?"

"They always seemed interested, or maybe they were just pretending to be interested. At any rate, when they expressed interest, I always… put on a little demonstration."

"Like what?"

"Well, I liked to show them that I could manipulate shadows. So when I grabbed onto the shadows of suits of armor, I made them do different things. I could make them march around, salute the guests, or practice sword play."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive."

"They did not think so."

"Why not?"

"They never actually told me… but I honestly think they were afraid that I would kill them in their sleep if they actually married me!" With this, Zelda burst out laughing over the ridiculousness of the thought. It was so sincere; Zukto could not help but smile. Moments like these… he never wanted them to end.

"I do not blame them for worrying." Zukto responded with pretend seriousness.

"Ha, I knew it." Zelda scoffed.

"Knew what?"

"You are not up for the challenge."

"Says who?"

"Says me, of course. And my word is all that matters."

"Is that so? Well, you better prepare yourself to be amazed then. I am merely biding my time, you see."

"It will take you so long to amaze me that Zora's Domain will freeze over." Zelda retorted. Zukto laughed again; he was having way too much fun.

"Thank you, Princess."

"… What for?"

"Hm, nothing in particular." Zukto responded, choosing to be a little mysterious himself.

 _I guess... this is not so bad. Are we friends? I still feel nervous about saying it out loud, but... I can secretly like talking with someone like this. Right? He actually treats me like a person: not a pawn, tool, or some monster... really, maybe I am the one who should be thanking you, Zukto._

"We have spent enough time here, have we not? We should find Nabooru and Kyoshiro; we do have a mission, after all." Tucking away the strange feeling of contentment that was budding inside of her, she wanted to make it clear that it was back to business as usual. Zukto felt disappointed, but then again, it felt like he made a lot of progress in such a short amount of time. And they still had a long journey ahead of them… surely there was time? Zukto stood up, and offered a hand to Zelda.

"Do not stand up too quickly; you might still be tired from everything that happened, and I do not want you to faint because you stood up too fast." Zukto warned; his hand still outstretched. Zelda felt like telling him off for assuming that she would be so careless, but she decided to cooperate just to get it over with faster. She grabbed his hand. Zukto smiled as he helped her stand up. He was right; she was still tired. It seemed like she was a little unsteady on her feet.

"Is everything okay?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded.

"It just has been a while, I think, since I stood up. I just need to get used to it." Zukto thought that sounded pretty reasonable. Then he noticed that they were still holding hands. He awkwardly let go before she had a chance to scold him about it. As far as he could tell, she did not react at all to it.

Zukto had the curtains pulled in his house, so he could not tell what time of day it was when he was there with Zelda. Leaving his house revealed to him that it was late-afternoon, or perhaps early-evening; the sun was lower in the sky, but not quite setting yet.

"I think we were asleep for quite a while. Roughly half the day, if I were to guess." He observed.

"Well, considering everything that happened… even though I cannot remember all of it… it seems logical." Zukto wondered if her memory loss affected her as much as it bothered him.

The rest of the time they spent looking for Nabooru passed in silence. Things were more or less back to normal between them. Zukto felt like he would have to return to grasping blindly at opportunities to connect with the Princess, and she seemed like she was just as aloof and calculating as before.


	10. Retracing the Path to the Second Temple

Eventually, Zukto and Zelda found Nabooru. She looked tired still, but she was happy to see that Zelda was up and about.

"I suspect that your friend is still asleep. Does he often sleep?" Nabooru asked. Zukto could not hold back his chuckle.

"Yes, he does."

"Ah, well, follow me."

The three of them entered Kyoshiro's room without knocking. Like Nabooru suspected, he was indeed still asleep. Zukto tried his hand at rousing Kyoshiro.

"Yo, Kyo, time to get up."

"I said… don't… call me…" Kyo muttered in response, barely audible and barely understandable.

"You've slept long enough, c'mon."

"… Fine, I'm getting up…" Kyoshiro sat up, his lower body still covered by a blanket, and rubbed his eyes. He still looked tired, like Nabooru and everyone else. Zukto suspected that everyone would need a couple of days to recover… but did they have the time? Suddenly, Zukto remembered something.

"Uhhh, Princess and Master… you should leave."

"Why?" Both of the ladies answered in unison. Zukto's face turned a little red because he did not want to have to explain to them.

"Come on, just come with me!" Zukto impatiently responded as he nudged them out of the room. They were both annoyed with him and voiced various forms of protest because he was not explaining himself. Zukto thought the protest was still better than him having to tell them that Kyoshiro slept with no clothes. Personally he did not care how Kyoshiro slept, but he was especially keen on keeping the Princess out of those types of situations. It was his job after all to defend the Princess, and her maidenhood seemed like the sort of thing that needed protection as well as her life and health.

Kyoshiro was still half-asleep, so he did not understand what the fuss was about. He threw the blanket aside and, true to Zukto's suspicions, was buck naked. He wandered around the room in search of his pants and undershirt. Finding them tossed aside in a corner, he fished them out and put them on. Accomplishing that, he found his under armor. This had been set aside with a greater amount of care. He pulled the chainmail armor over his head and straightened it out on his body. It was only made to protect his torso, which was the part of the body that was targeted the most. To complete his look, Kyoshiro threw his tabard on and cinched up a belt around his waist to hold it in place. Besides his boots, and his sword, he was ready to go.

"Hey, where'd you guys go?" Kyoshiro asked the empty room. The group was not very far, so they heard him.

"Uh, let me check on him first and I'll let you know if the coast is clear." Zukto said. He ran off. Nabooru tried really hard to stifle her chuckle; she understood now what was going on. Zelda seemed oblivious, however.

"Zukto is acting weird." She said, frowning.

"And you don't?" Nabooru teased. Zelda had absolutely no response for that; all she could do was quietly sulk.

"Come on now!" Zukto called. The two ladies rejoined the group.

"So… are we taking off?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Well, we need to talk about that. We got back to the Fortress really early this morning, and it would seem that we slept until late afternoon. I do not want to waste a lot of time, and we still have some time before nightfall, but the problem is this: if we left now, it would be either past sundown or nearly there by the time we reached the Temple, and then of course we do not know what awaits us in the Temple." Zukto explained. Zelda and Nabooru instantly looked thoughtful as they searched for solutions.

"Zukto, I do believe there is a secret grotto near the Temple. Not everyone can enter it; in fact, I never have. I heard that the way to the grotto can be revealed if someone of great Wisdom approaches. Perhaps you can head to the Temple tonight, rest in the grotto, then begin your search for the next weapon early tomorrow morning." Nabooru explained.

"That sounds great, except…" Zukto started.

"Do we know anyone of 'great Wisdom?'" Kyoshiro blurted out. Zukto felt glad that Kyoshiro took the fall for him: he had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"Excuse me Kyoshiro; I believe I have demonstrated numerous times that I am quite capable in that department." Zelda scowled.

"Er, right… but isn't it something beyond just reading everything you get your hands on?" Kyoshiro asked. Zukto thought that he was just digging himself a deeper grave, although he could not help but concede that his friend had a point.

"Naturally." Was all Zelda said in response. Zukto was a little surprised at first, and then curious. So did she have something in mind?

"Come, we should be off. We want to reach the Colossus before nightfall if possible." Zelda said, snapping Zukto out of his thoughts.

"Right. Master, do you wish to join us?" Zukto asked Nabooru. She nodded eagerly.

"You will need my help anyway." She said, winking. Zukto did not say anything because he thought in the back of his head that even though she was joking, she was probably right. At least for him, she was an incredibly resourceful ally. With that, the group left for the Desert Colossus.

Somehow, the group split into two groups based on sex. Zukto and Kyoshiro took the lead navigating through the first part of the Desert while the ladies trailed slightly behind. Zukto kept looking back to make sure they were okay at first. Eventually, he figured out that they were purposely moving slower than Kyoshiro and Zukto because they were holding, he guessed, a private conversation. So he stopped looking over his shoulder every minute.

"Master Nabooru, I wanted to apologize for last night. It seems that I was not myself."

"I understand, though is that just going to be an excuse from now on?" Nabooru asked. Zelda's face fell slightly.

"… I cannot let it be, no. But…"

"But?"

"… As it stands, I am powerless against her."

"Her? So do you know who it is?"

"No. Thus far, we have barely spoken to each other. She kind of sounds like me, though."

"Well, be that as it may… do not pay too much attention to whatever she says to you. I would not be surprised if she is trying to manipulate you. She is trying to take control of you, after all…" Nabooru warned. She hoped it was a reminder for Zelda, who surely already thought of that possibility. Zelda was oddly silent for a while.

"Anyway, um… I was wondering… what can I do to fight her?"

"That is a pretty good question. You are going to have to train your mind to overpower her. When you feel her fighting you, you need to fight back twice as much."

"… That… is easy for you to say." Zelda whispered. Nabooru looked concerned.

"You aren't giving up… are you?" She asked slowly. Zelda fell silent again.

… _This is bad. What is she thinking?_

"Princess. Please listen to me. I do not know what is going on in that head of yours, but whatever it is, it is not healthy. You are here with us for a reason. You need to figure out that reason, and fight for that reason with all of your might. A lot of people have helped you get to this point. Are you just going to throw away their efforts?"

"… I am here… for a reason…" Zelda repeated slowly and quietly. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something, but she looked frustrated.

 _The only reason I am here is to take my Father's place, but I do not want to! Someone, anyone, just take this title and the obligations from me._

"The answers won't always come easily. Don't get discouraged, okay? But this should make you feel better… I have a feeling that the Sage of Shadow will be a great help to you in this matter." Nabooru explained. Zelda's face lightened slightly at the mention of her Master.

"It has been a while. After we finish here, I should see her. Thank you for the idea, Master Nabooru."

"It is my pleasure. From what Master Impa has told me, you have… a problem when it comes to asking for help. So I am very grateful that you came to me for advice."

"Oh… Master Impa said that about me?" Zelda's face reddened slightly.

 _I mean, yes, what she says is true... but... how often does Master speak about me around others? I thought my identity was supposed to be hidden still? Though I guess that I can trust Nabooru out of anyone else, since she is also a Sage._

"We all have traits that could use some work. You shouldn't be embarrassed about it."

"What else does Master Impa say about me?" Nabooru chuckled at Zelda's curiosity.

"Hm, let's see… she says you are a delightful student because you pour all of your energy into a goal until you accomplish it. You don't like to stop in the middle of something. Your thirst for knowledge is admirable. She likes that you are as serious about things in general as she is… and she thinks you need to hurry up and get married." Nabooru winked playfully, and Zelda's face turned a new shade of red.

"Wh-what?! Is that true?!" Zelda yelled a little too loudly. Zukto immediately glanced back at the two women, worried at first when he heard Zelda yelling. When he noticed that Nabooru was doubled-over laughing, he chided himself for not immediately suspecting that she was the cause of the outburst. Though he was curious about what happened, he did not say anything and kept moving ahead.

 _I-it was just a joke, right? It has to be a joke. Master knows that I cannot possibly... she knows how I cannot so easily trust another... and someone would only choose to court me anyway for my status. Ugh, I despise such greedy and spineless people._

Nabooru's comment caught her off guard initially, but her initial shock gave way to frustration.

Eventually, the two ladies caught up with Zukto and Kyoshiro. The group was quiet for a while. Zukto really wanted to break the silence, but was not sure how. Luckily, Kyoshiro took care of the hard part for him.

"What were you two discussing back there anyway?"

"Wouldn't you like to know~?" Nabooru teased. Her playful voice nearly made Zukto blush, but he fought it.

"I was asking Master Nabooru why the Goddesses decided that their group of heroes should consist of a foreigner and a muscle head." Zelda joked.

"And what about you?" Zukto laughed, surprised at her joke.

"Hey, wait a second! Muscle head?" Kyoshiro started, looking perturbed, but Zelda had a response for Zukto so she ignored her other teammate.

"Is it not already obvious? There is nothing wrong with me." She scoffed.

"Well, except for the fact that you are possessed. Does that count?" Zukto pointed out, looking amused.

"Perhaps you would enjoy meeting the person 'possessing me' for yourself?"

"Nah, I'm good. I can barely handle you as it is."

"Oh? I have only just begun." Zelda had a smug look on her face.

"Bring it on." Zukto couldn't help but smile. For a minute, they both stared at each other. In that moment, nothing else really concerned Zukto. Nabooru got an idea, and pushed Kyoshiro forward. They continued through the Desert together, though Kyoshiro was not very good company because he was still annoyed about Zelda's joke.

"Princess… I have something I want to say." Zukto said finally when they were alone.

"Yes?" She looked intrigued, but also cautious.

 _What is with him all of a sudden...?_

"See, the thing is…" Zukto started to talk, but he could not get the words out for some reason.

"I cannot read your mind. Are we just going to stand here all evening?"

"Forgive me, I've never done this before. I think I—" Zukto started to say, but suddenly the ground around them shook violently. Zukto and Zelda lost their balance slightly. Three Iron Knuckles menacingly rose from the sand.

"Princess, get back! These things are dangerous!" Zukto warned, trying to get between her and the living suits of armor. But they were outnumbered, and he could no longer see Kyo or Nabooru.

 _Why did they only appear now? We've been here for a while…_ Zukto thought, reaching for his bow and arrows.

"Zukto! Please, do not treat me like a child. I have already proven myself capable in combat. Now, let us fight our foes together. We are a team… are we not?" Zelda was indignant. Zukto finally nodded.

"You're right. I am sorry, Princess. I don't mean to treat you like a child… it's just…"

"I know. My Father told you to look out for me." Without giving Zukto a chance to say anything else, which he desperately wanted to, Zelda charged forward at the nearest walking suit of armor. Even at the best of times, Iron Knuckles were slow moving. Now that they were attempting to do battle on sand, progress forward was nigh impossible. One of them already started to sink slightly. Zelda charged up a ball of energy in her hands and fired it at her target. It suffered a direct hit; while the enemy did not appear too damaged, the attack knocked it off balance. It fell straight onto its back.

Just as Zelda was about to manipulate the shadow of the Iron Knuckle to use its heavy axe against it, a powerful gust of wind blew through the Desert. The violent winds threw sand everywhere. Zelda was forced to close her eyes, which prevented her from using her signature technique. Zukto also was rendered helpless at the sudden turn of the weather, as his arrows would be left to the wind's mercy. He pushed against the wind to be near Zelda. At least he had his goggles: as soon as he put them on, he did not have to worry about sand flying in his face.

"Princess, this storm is going to be bad. We have to leave; now!" Zukto yelled to be heard over the screaming winds.

"I cannot see…!" Zelda cried, shielding her face with one of her hands. Zukto reached for her free hand to try to guide her to safety. He had momentarily forgotten about the Iron Knuckles in the confusion. There was still one that had not been incapacitated due to the sand. It took the opportunity to approach the two, unnoticed, and it raised its mighty axe over its head, aiming for Zukto. Zelda lifted her hand from her face just in time to notice what the walking armor was doing.

"Zukto…! Get out of the way!" She cried. He looked at her, confused. But it was too late; the Iron Knuckle lowered its axe straight at Zukto. Without thinking, Zelda pushed Zukto out of the way of the weapon. She did not have enough time to cast shield magic after pushing Zukto out of harm's way; the weapon came down on her shoulder, piercing her skin. She let out a horrible cry of pain, and fell to her knees. Zukto looked on from a few feet away, absolutely horrified; it took him a minute to recover mentally. He immediately rushed to Zelda's side.

"Princess?! Princess Zelda, are you okay?! Please… say something to me… Princess…?" Zukto desperately tried to get her attention, but she was not moving or saying anything. The axe was still stuck in her arm and the wound was slowly bleeding, trickling onto her cloak and the Desert floor. Zukto wanted to pull out the axe, but he knew that her wound would bleed faster after removing the weapon. He did not want her to lose so much blood when they were so far away from any facilities that could help her.

 _Shit, what in Din's name do I do?!_ Zukto thought in a panic. Suddenly, Zelda rose to her feet again.

"P-princess? You need to get back. You cannot fight like that!"

"Princess? Heh. Do not compare that pathetic child to _me_." A harsh, feminine voice that did not belong to Zelda spoke. Zukto looked over at Zelda, and noticed that her face looked different. Her eyes had a strange gleam in them, and her expression was malevolent.

"Wh-who are you?" Zukto asked, unnerved by his partner's strange behavior.

"Hm, yes, I suppose I should not expect an uneducated mortal to know me. After all, they do not want ordinary people knowing about me…" At first 'Zelda' gave a wry smile, but the smile quickly faded.

"You're the voice who speaks to Zelda?"

"Oh, so she speaks about me?" The woman looked pleased.

"Why are you here?"

"Look, boy, if I did not come out when I did, your 'Princess' would be in real trouble. I saved her life; be grateful." The woman replied harshly. She looked annoyed. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she turned her attention to the axe still lodged in her shoulder. With little effort, the woman grabbed a hold of the weapon and pulled it out of herself. At first, as Zukto suspected, the blood flowed faster from the wound. But within seconds, the bleeding stopped completely. The woman just stood there, holding the oversized weapon that dripped with Zelda's blood.

"Mmm, there we go… now that is taken care of… let us finish these pests, shall we?" She cooed, looking at the Iron Knuckles with a glint in her eyes. She spent a minute more to unfasten and remove her giant cloak. For the first time, Zukto could see what Zelda had been wearing underneath of it. It seemed as though she was wearing a full body suit, perhaps made of leather. It was quite form-fitting. She was wearing low heel boots that were nearly the entire length of her leg and long bracers on her arms. She had a strange-looking, asymmetrical cape draped over her shoulders. Ironically, the only bit of skin showing, her shoulders, had been where the axe hit her. Blood had trickled down her arm and soaked into the asymmetrical cape a bit.

The sandstorm did not seem to faze her in the slightest. With unnatural speed for a woman of her stature, she lunged forward with the large axe and ran one of the Iron Knuckles through with it. After that, she closed her eyes and orbs of dark energy formed in her hands. She fired these orbs at another Iron Knuckle, which pierced through its armor like it was made of sand. The monster fell instantly. With one left, the woman used Zelda's signature technique on it. She held her arms steady in front of her and concentrated. The shadows of her arms reached out and grabbed the shadow of the Iron Knuckle. The monster was rendered immobile as its own axe sliced it in half.

Satisfied with her work, the woman walked off. Zukto only watched, partly in awe, while she dispatched the enemies, but he was not going to just let her get away.

"Okay, so you helped us out back there. I appreciate the help, but Zelda is no longer in danger. Please let her come back." He requested. The woman quickly turned to him, glaring.

"Why in the name of Demise would I listen to a mortal like you?"

"I suppose you don't have to listen to me necessarily. But last time, Zelda listened to me." Zukto explained, looking serious. The woman was taken aback slightly, but regained her cool and detached composure within a few moments.

"Yeah? Well, I suppose if you can wake up Zelda from the recesses of her own mind, then you win. I imprisoned her consciousness there so it would not get in my way." The woman looked sure of herself that Zukto would be powerless to do anything. At first she thought her assumption was justified when Zukto looked crestfallen, but suddenly he became resolute.

"Princess Zelda, I know you can hear me. What you did just now was crazy, but you did not hesitate to put yourself in harm's way on my behalf; I am so grateful, and I owe you a lot." Zukto declared. The woman looked put off for a moment before she started to sway unsteadily on her legs. Zukto ran up to her and caught her before she fell. She did not move or say anything for a bit.

"Princess? Princess Zelda? Are you awake?" Zukto asked, furrowing his brow. She slowly opened her eyes.

"… Ah? Zukto? What happened? All I remember is… ah!" Zelda began slowly, until she noticed her blood-soaked clothing.

"Princess… you saved my life. You are so brave. But I'm the one who is supposed to protect you."

"Why can I not also protect people?" Zelda asked suddenly. Briefly, the memory of her dead parents rushed back to the forefront of her mind. Zukto was taken aback slightly, but he also felt relieved.

"I am so glad you are okay, Your Highness." Zukto sighed, hugging Zelda tightly. This time, Zelda was taken aback.

"Wh-what has gotten into you?" She asked, blushing slightly.

"Well, the Iron Knuckle… it… and I wasn't sure if I was going to have to…" Zukto muttered, and he could not finish his thoughts. Some of them made him feel a little sick.

"… What happened to them anyway?"

"Do… do you not remember?"

"No. I only remember that the Iron Knuckle was headed straight for you, and I… I was not thinking clearly… I could only see an image of you in my mind getting struck by the axe, and I panicked…"

"Well…" Zukto hesitated slightly, unsure whether or not he should tell Zelda the truth. But he decided that he should be honest with her.

"The Iron Knuckle… attacked you after you pushed me out of the way. Maybe for a split second you were yourself, but… your other half took over. And your other half destroyed the Iron Knuckles after she dislodged the axe from your arm."

"Oh yeah, about…" Zelda started, lifting a hand to touch her bare shoulder. To her surprise, there was no wound on her skin that she could find. Just blood that was partially dry.

"There… there is no wound." Zelda muttered, still touching the skin of her shoulder where the axe had been.

"…What?! There is no wound? Are you sure about that? Well, I guess that makes sense; your other self said that she 'saved your life.' So then, that must mean that she has some unusually strong regenerative properties or something…" Zukto said more to himself than anyone else.

"… How was… how was I able to come back? Did she just let me have control again?" Zelda asked in disbelief.

"… N-no, not exactly… she told me that I would have to bring you back somehow."

"Well…" Zelda clearly hesitated for a moment, but Zukto was not sure why.

"Well?"

"... Whatever you did… I guess it worked. So thanks. But we… we need to be off. I fear we are quite a bit behind Nabooru and Kyoshiro." That was so like Zelda; to immediately focus her attention on the task at hand, despite being in trouble not long ago.

"Princess… I will not let you do that again." Zukto said seriously. Zelda looked at him briefly, but shrugged. If she was saying that she did not care if she almost lost a limb, or worse… Zukto felt a little impatient with her suddenly. It was like she was trying to annoy him by being ridiculous.

 _So... it does indeed seem to be the case that when I change into my 'other self,' I do not have access to the memories of what my other self does. That makes me nervous, but I suppose I can just ask everyone about what happened after I change back... even though I know that opens up possibilities for them to lie to me, I do not really have any other options. I suppose that this is not so bad in some ways; after all, my other self has enough power to completely heal my wounds. But what does my other self say and do? Clearly my other self can fight, because Zukto claims I fought those Iron Knuckles off myself. In a pinch, then, my other self seems to be a useful resource. For now, then, perhaps I should not worry too much about it…_

 _But I am curious about how Zukto was able to draw my consciousness back out. He did not actually tell me... ah! He did not do anything to me, did he?! Gods, now I am panicking just thinking about it... shit, did I give him the wrong idea earlier? I just started joking without thinking, and he kept pace with me. Did he think that I was... that I was f-flirting? I-I have never flirted with anyone before; is that how people banter when they are interested in each other?! Crap, I really need to be careful about what I say..._ Zelda was too occupied with her thoughts to say anything to Zukto as they walked. Part of her wanted to run off, to leave Zukto on his own... but she repeatedly reminded herself that she had never crossed this part of the Desert before: it was in her best interest to travel with him for the time being.

Zukto could tell that she was absorbed in her thoughts again, so he did not try to force conversation as they walked. He had a feeling that Zelda was most comfortable when she had time to herself, but the quiet was going to drive him crazy. It was dark when they found Nabooru and Kyo.

 _Hm, I do not remember taking my cloak off. Did Zukto take it off after I lost consciousness, or... perhaps it was my other self. Oh well, only Zukto saw all of that anyway. Admittedly, it is easier to move around when I am not wearing that bulky thing._ Zelda thought suddenly, only just now realizing that she had shed her heaviest layer of clothing.

"Ah! There you two are! I was worried that you ran the Princess off, Zukto." Nabooru giggled, winking. Zukto was not in such a good mood, however. He looked away, which caused Nabooru's face to drop slightly. Then she gasped when she saw Zelda's bloody shoulder.

"Oh my dear Goddesses! Zukto, what did you do?!" Nabooru asked as she rushed to Zelda.

"Me?! Why do you assume it's my fault?!"

"You are the one who is supposed to watch over her!"

"You don't have to remind me of that! But if you're in the mood to scold people, scold the Princess! She… pushed me out of harm's way." Zukto sighed. Nabooru looked back and forth between the two and sighed herself.

"You two are really difficult. Why didn't you already wrap up her wound, Zukto?" Nabooru chastised.

"Er, um… it… does not need to be wrapped."

"Ridiculous. You are just being irresponsible. Princess, may I?" Nabooru asked as she felt around Zelda's shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock.

"There… there is no wound? But then how…?"

"I think my other half… healed me." Zelda explained slowly. Nabooru paused for a moment in thought, but seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Ah… that would make sense, given our situation. It's not like we have magical doctors out here. At any rate, we need to get you out of this weather. Come, the grotto I mentioned is not too far away." Nabooru took her place at Zelda's side this time and nudged Zukto ahead to lead the way. She wanted to make sure Zelda was okay. For the most part she was, except she was still a little weak and lightheaded from the initial loss of blood. When they reached the oasis, Zukto stopped.

"So um, where are we going? I don't really know what you mean by a grotto."

"Well, we have done all we can. Now it's your turn, Your Highness." Nabooru said, looking at Zelda expectantly. Zelda looked a little nervous, but she took a deep breath and slowly walked in the direction that Nabooru pointed to. As she neared a huge rock wall, a voice spoke to her.

 _Keeper of the Piece of Wisdom… welcome._

"Ah?! Who is there?!" Zelda suddenly asked, startled by the voice. Zukto was startled too, thinking she sensed someone nearby. Nabooru shook her head at him; he settled down when he watched the Sage of Spirit. Unexpectedly, a light began to shine underneath Zelda. The light was golden, like the light of the Triforce. It engulfed Zelda briefly.

"… What is going on?" Zukto asked. Nabooru looked like she wanted him to be quiet and to pay attention. When the light around Zelda died down, it looked like her attention was focused on her hand. Zukto looked at Nabooru briefly before running to Zelda's side.

"Is everything okay, Princess?" He asked when he caught up to her. She did not say anything, but she showed him the back of her right hand; a symbol glowed. It was the Triforce, and the left-bottom piece was lit up.

"Wh-what… what does that mean? That… hasn't always been there… right?" Zukto asked after studying her hand for a moment.

"… No, it has not. It just appeared…" Zelda whispered. Just then, Kyoshiro and Nabooru caught up to the two of them. Nabooru looked pleased when she saw the symbol.

"So it has finally happened! The Goddesses granted you the Triforce of Wisdom, Your Highness! You should be honored." Nabooru looked smug, as if she herself had received the Triforce of Wisdom.

"What does this mean?" Zelda asked.

"Your Highness! I am surprised at you. I thought you knew everything about the old legends, hm?"

"Well, of course… the pieces of the Triforce represent Power, Courage, and Wisdom… three people of legend are destined to bear the pieces in a time of a crisis."

"Well, I believe that we are dealing with a crisis right now. What about you?"

"Does this mean that the other pieces have been granted to other people?"

"Ganondorf probably has the Triforce of Power, then." Zukto chimed in.

"That leaves one more piece." Kyoshiro observed.

"A legendary hero possesses the Triforce of Courage, supposedly." Zelda added.

"I remember hearing a bit about this so-called legendary hero, but what's so special about him again?" Zukto asked.

"Ah yes, you are less familiar with our legends. In ancient legends, Ganondorf is the Great King of Evil. There is only one with the power to fight against and defeat the Great King of Evil: the legendary hero that bears the Triforce of Courage. But he could never defeat the Great King of Evil on his own. He needed the help of the Ancient Sages, and a legendary blade known as the Master Sword. The sword is rumored to be the blade of evil's bane. And the resting place of the Master Sword is tied to the Triforce." Zelda explained.

"Why isn't this hero here, helping us anyway?" Zukto asked suddenly. Everyone looked at each other, like that thought never occurred to them before now.

"Well, um… why don't we enter the grotto now and rest? If we wish, we can continue this discussion in safety." Nabooru started nudging everyone into the stone hallway that revealed itself. On the other side was a Fairy Fountain. The group was tired, especially Zelda, so they decided to put their discussion of ancient legends on hold. Zukto watched Zelda sleep for a while before he let himself fall asleep.

Like always, her sleep was fitful.


	11. Ancient Legends and Trials

Bright and early, the heroes and Nabooru filed out of the grotto. Everyone flinched at the blinding sunlight. The temperature was already high, and still climbing, but thankfully Zukto knew from experience that the Spirit Temple would be much cooler than standing outside under the sun.

"Okay, so our mission is to find the next artifact that hides within the Spirit Temple." Zukto declared. Zelda looked at him somewhat expectantly.

"What, Princess Zelda?"

"If you are going to make a grand announcement, at least say something we do not already know." She scolded. Zukto sighed. She was entirely too business-orientated at the best of times.

"Okay, I'll try. Anyway, I do not know what is waiting for us in the Temple. When Master Nabooru and I spent time in the Temple, we never went very deep into it because we were unable to. I am hoping though, since we are all going together, that we can get past some of the 'barriers' we encountered. Make sure that you look out for everyone in the group. I guess that's everything… so let's get started." Zukto led the way back to the Temple that they had visited two evenings prior.

Once inside, Zukto felt a little nostalgic. Even though he left Gerudo Desert not too long ago, so much had happened in such a short amount of time that he felt like he had already been away from home a month. Absentmindedly, he touched a statue that he had walked past numerous times before. Zelda looked around the main entrance with attention because last time she was here she was barely conscious. After a bit, she glanced back at Zukto. She was confused at his blank stare.

"Zukto, what is wrong with you?" She asked. Her question came out a little harsher than she intended which got Zukto's attention, but he was not sure how to respond.

"I was… You see… never mind." Zukto sighed deeply, thinking that saying nothing might be the better course of action.

"Hey, where is Kyoshiro?" Nabooru asked, looking around. Zukto and Zelda did not notice it before, but Nabooru was right to ask about their partner because he was nowhere in sight.

"Uh, Kyo?" Zukto asked to the mostly empty grand entrance. Zelda decided to try a different strategy: she strained her ears for a moment to listen for anything strange. After a few moments, she was sure she heard the clashing of blades.

"Kyoshiro must have found something to fight; I hear the clash of steel." Zelda explained. She immediately headed in the direction of the noise. Not wanting to lose sight of her, Zukto ran after her. Nabooru trailed behind, mostly because she was not in a hurry to fight anything if she did not have to. That was Zukto's job, right?

Zelda stopped when she spotted Kyoshiro because she also saw what he was fighting: it was another Iron Knuckle. She felt suddenly paralyzed to the spot, her mind flashing the image of a large axe piercing her shoulder. Zukto caught up to her, thinking that she was waiting for him. When he stood next to her, he saw the look of terror on her face.

"Whoah, Princess Zelda, is everything okay? What happened?" Zukto moved in front of her and stared at her seriously. It took her a moment, but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I-I do not understand what came over me… I just… I saw… one of them." Zelda stammered. Zukto looked in the direction of Kyoshiro, where she had been looking before, and suddenly understood.

"… Princess, if you cannot fight them, I understand. Do not force yourself to do something you are uncomfortable doing. Besides, now that we have Kyo everything will be fine."

"Y-yes." Her face was still a little pale, but she seemed fine besides. Zukto ran off to help Kyoshiro with the walking armor. While Zelda stayed back, she looked around at the new room. There seemed to be two hallways; a left and a right. From what she could see, they were both sealed off.

 _Well, there has to be a way to unseal them, right? Let us see what we can find…_

Zelda made her way around the room to look for clues that would enable them to progress through the Temple, while making sure to leave ample space between her and the Iron Knuckle. Eventually, she found something promising: an out-of-place engraving on the wall. The engraving was written in the ancient Hylian language, which made Zelda even more curious. She read it out loud to herself:

"Spirit and Shadow were abandoned by their people. Spirit tried to rejoin those who left him behind, while Shadow preferred to hide himself from the people who forsake him. Alone in the world, Spirit found Shadow. The two, although one wanted to disappear into Nothingness and the other wanted everyone to be reunited, put their differences aside and grew strong together. Understanding that the Goddesses had not forsaken them, although their people had, the two Friends dedicated their lives to protecting a treasure of the Gods…" When Zelda finished reading, she stood still and closed her eyes; she was deep in thought.

"Aha! And now you're finished!" Kyoshiro declared triumphantly as he delivered the coup de grace to the Iron Knuckle he found earlier. The giant armor collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"These things are a pain…" Zukto muttered.

"They are a challenge, which is what I love. Let me fight 'em all! I got this, no problem." Kyoshiro beamed. He was proud of himself for not looking tired like Zukto did. Zukto ignored his overly-enthusiastic partner, who was proud about nothing in particular, and looked around the room. He spotted Zelda standing a ways off by herself. He approached her and gently called her name because he did not want to frighten her.

"Zelda?" Even though he tried not to startle her, he was unsuccessful. Zelda jumped slightly with a start when his voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

"Ah?! Oh, hey… Zukto…" She muttered, embarrassed. She looked at the ground and did not say anything.

"Hey, no need to be so jumpy. Everything is fine. The Iron Knuckle is gone and nothing else is here."

"It… it is not that…" Zelda muttered quietly.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Zukto inquired, figuring it would be better to not press her for explanations.

"I was reading." Zelda pointed at the engraving.

"Well, I am sure that it is interesting if you understand what it says. But I cannot."

"I could read it to you… if you want." She offered.

"I'm listening." Zukto replied with a smile. Zelda read it out loud again. When she finished, Zukto seemed thoughtful too.

"You know, that sounds familiar for some reason. Also, I feel like there's more to the story. If you see one of these engravings somewhere else, let me know. I want to know what it says."

"Alright. Do you know what it means?"

"I think this is part of an old legend. Nabooru used to talk about it a lot when I first showed up in the Desert. Oh, let's ask her." Zukto jogged away from Zelda to where Nabooru was standing. She was talking with Kyoshiro.

"So anyway, things like this are no problem for me. I did worse for a living." Kyoshiro explained.

"It's apparent that you're willing to do hard work. I'll give you that…" Nabooru stopped to think for a moment. When she did, Zukto caught up.

"Master Nabooru, there's something you should see." Zukto practically dragged her away. She glanced at Kyoshiro with a 'Sorry, I guess he can't wait' face. Kyoshiro rolled his eyes and found a comfortable place to sit. He had a feeling this would take a while.

When Nabooru looked at the engraving, her face lit up.

"Oh yes, this engraving talks about the families that the Sages eventually came from: the Sages of Spirit and Shadow, naturally."

"Why does it say that they were abandoned?" Zukto asked.

"Well this legend goes back many, many centuries, before the Gods selected people to be Sages. I think, originally, that the ancestors of the Gerudo lived among the other people and races of what is now Hyrule. But the ancestors of the Gerudo came to bear the curse which you know about. After the curse, it is said that the other races drove the Gerudo out of the mainland. In a way, we were cursed twice. Cursed to almost never produce male offspring, and cursed to live alone. Of course, not every Gerudo wanted to be isolated out here. I think one reason why Ganondorf became the Great King of Evil was because when he was young, he hated being isolated out here against his will. He heard of the mainland Kingdom, its wealth and progress, and always was mad that we could never take part in the proceedings. He thinks that the Royal Family is unjust and unfit to rule, and now he wants revenge."

After Nabooru finished voicing her thoughts, the company observed a somber silence for a time. The way Nabooru explained it, Ganondorf almost sounded like a victim. Of course no matter what anyone said about him, Zelda harbored an intense desire to exact revenge against him for what he did to her parents. This is why she was the one who broke the silence.

"And… what about Shadow?" Zelda asked, seemingly ignoring the implications of the Spirit Sage's remarks. Nabooru looked at Zelda sympathetically.

"You already know the answer to your question, Your Highness." With that, Nabooru ran off. Zukto looked at Zelda curiously.

"What was that about?"

"… Master Nabooru is right about what she said earlier: everything is interconnected." Zelda said out loud, although it was more directed at herself.

"Huh? Mind filling me in? I'm still here, you know." Zukto said, playfully. Zelda looked at him for a moment, then at the engraving, and finally back at him.

"It is talking about you, you know." Zelda explained, changing the topic slightly.

"Wait, what? Are you sure? How can you even tell?" Her diversionary tactic worked: Zukto had briefly wondered how Zelda could have known what Nabooru had said the night before, because he had been under the impression that the Princess had been unconscious during that conversation, but when she started talking about him Zukto let the question slip from his mind before he could ask about it.

"You mean besides the obvious? Or did you not realize that, being the only student of the Sage of Spirit, you are to inherit the title of Sage of Spirit?" She almost looked sympathetic.

"Wh-what? I am to inherit…?" Before he had a chance to process what she had said, she did something unexpected: she grabbed Zukto's hand and urged him to follow her so they could rejoin the group. Zukto smiled.

 _It is apparent that she has no memory of when her other self took over her body, so that would mean that she also has no clue about what I said to her to snap her out of it. Despite that, she is being more forward than I expected she would be... when you act like this, Zelda, I cannot help but think that maybe we have a chance…_ Without thinking, he squeezed her hand tighter.

 _Crap! I just did that without thinking! Though he is not pulling away... which means... he must like it, right? And he just squeezed my hand...! Ugh, I can tell that my face is getting red... but this seems enjoyable... whatever, my Father cannot control me clear out here. I think I should just do whatever I want; besides, I likely feel so drawn to him because he's my counter part... Spirit and Shadow have always had a close bond, so it seems._ Zelda was relieved that Zukto could not see her face because she insisted on walking in front of him.

The duo returned to Nabooru and Kyoshiro, who were joking around. Zukto was amused that they were seemingly getting along so well in such a short amount of time. But then again, Nabooru was never the serious type like Zelda; she could make friends with almost anyone. Right before Nabooru's attention returned to them, Zelda quickly let go of Zukto's hand. After all, she hated the thought of the teasing and the questions that surely would follow had the older woman noticed. Zukto had a feeling he knew why Zelda abruptly let go of his hand, but he was still a bit disappointed regardless.

"Hey, we're back. Where next?" Zukto asked.

"Zukto, we need to get past those blocked doorways on the left and right sides. But I have been unable thus far to figure out how we are to do that." Zelda responded. Zukto looked around and understood the conundrum; he had no ideas. Nabooru, on the other hand, seemed interested in something. It was another engraving.

"Your Highness, come this way! I think you should read this." Nabooru seemed excited. Zelda hurried to join Sage Nabooru. For a moment Zukto stayed back because he was unsure of what to do, but his curiosity and desire to be around Zelda got the better of him. He joined them.

"So, what do you think?" Nabooru promptly asked. Zelda concentrated on the engraving.

"It says Spirit and Shadow are needed to progress through the sealed section of the Temple. When they became friends, they made a pact to protect this Temple and the treasure within it by combining their powers to create an inner sanctum within this Temple. Only when the ancient seals recognize Shadow and Spirit will they yield, allowing progress through the Temple."

"Come, this way!" Nabooru excitedly ushered Zelda and Zukto to a couple of alters. One alter bore the mark of the Spirit Sage; the other, the mark of the Shadow Sage. Nabooru made Zukto and Zelda stand in front of their respective alters.

"You need to pray to the ancient Sages of Spirit and Shadow to awaken them." She instructed. Zelda and Zukto did as she said. After a few moments, Zukto stumbled and fell backwards onto the ground! Nabooru and Kyoshiro looked at each other, shocked. Nabooru quickly snapped herself out of it because she feared the same might happen to Zelda; she was right. Just as Nabooru approached Zelda, the Princess collapsed into Nabooru's outstretched arms.

"… What is going on?" Kyoshiro asked, looking at his now unconscious teammates.

"I think the ancient Sages brought Zukto and Princess Zelda to their worlds so they can test them. This is important for your journey. If we stick around here for a bit, I feel like the way forward will become clear." Nabooru explained. She was still holding onto Zelda, though just barely.

"Uh… need help there?" Kyoshiro chuckled, watching her.

"Oh shush. But yes. She is not particularly heavy, but I just am not cut out for lifting lifeless bodies." Nabooru joked. Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow at her joke, but did not respond. Thanks to his muscular physique, he easily picked up Zelda in his arms.

"Where to?"

"Gently lay her out right here." Nabooru instructed. After Kyoshiro set Zelda down, Nabooru requested that he do the same for Zukto. Zukto was much heavier in comparison to Zelda, but Kyoshiro did not want to admit that in front of Nabooru because he did not want her to think he could not handle it. When the two were safe, Kyoshiro leaned against a wall.

"I hate sitting around when I think they are doing something more exciting than me." Kyoshiro complained. Nabooru chuckled this time.

Zukto sat up and shook his head.

 _I fell? When did that happen?_

"Hey Ze- Wait a second, where am I?" Zukto looked around, confused. He was standing in what he thought to be the Spirit Temple, but it looked entirely different. For one, the walls and ceiling were much smaller, and lower, than the walls of the Spirit Temple. Was it only partially built? While he was sitting there, pondering the situation, a girl approached him.

"You are not from around here, are you?" Her voice was really young and girlish. She also looked extremely familiar to Zukto, but he could not remember why.

"N-no, I'm not. But where is 'here' anyway?"

"You don't know? You opened a secret pathway that only descendants of Spirit can open."

"Only descendants of Spir—wait, was there a girl here earlier with me?"

"Girl? Nah. I only noticed you here, which is why I came over." The girl explained. Zukto was a little worried.

 _If I am here, what happened to Zelda? I hope she's okay…_

"Hey, come on! Don't look like that! Don't you have work to do?" The girl asked seriously.

Zukto was slightly taken aback at her abruptness, but he understood what she meant.

"You're right. I can't waste time." He abruptly stood up, but then stopped.

"Er, I would like to say that… but I have no idea what I am supposed to do here." When he said that, the girl started laughing.

"You're funny! All you have to do is ask! You probably want to talk to the Master of Spirit." The girl signaled Zukto to follow her. Knowing he had no other options, Zukto hurried after her.

"Nnhh… Where am I…?" Zelda muttered, opening her eyes. Instinctively, she reached a hand to her head but honestly she was not in much pain: she was simply disoriented. She looked around: it appeared that she was in a graveyard. It was hard to tell because it was dark, but the graveyard reminded her of the Kakariko Graveyard.

… _When… did I come back home…?_

While she was sitting on the ground trying to process everything, a tall figure silently approached her.

"Why have you come here? This is a Sacred place only for those who are Chosen." He explained. His voice had a harsh tone to it. Zelda looked up at him, immediately noticed his red eyes, and felt like she knew him for some reason. She stood up quickly, brushed herself off, and introduced herself.

"Excuse me, my name is Zelda. I am the Princess of Hyrule, and the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. I am here because I am to be tested by the ancient Sages." She bowed. The silent figure bowed in response.

"Well, well, I did not think you would come so soon. Follow me." He briskly walked in the direction of a large dais on the ground. He stood in the center. As Zelda approached the dais, she studied it. The dais bore the mark of the Shadow Temple.

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule, my name is Wrath. I have been waiting for you because the legends foretold your arrival. Now that you are here, I am to make sure you navigate your way through this Realm as you are tested. Take hold of my arm: we must travel to another part of this Realm." He held his arm out, and Zelda promptly grabbed onto it. The duo was wrapped up in a cocoon of darkness that carried them away from the dais.

Zukto and the girl stopped on a large dais. Zukto noticed the dais was decorated with the symbol of the Spirit Temple.

"Hey, so I guess we haven't done the introductions yet. Tell me who you are." The girl demanded with mock seriousness. Zukto briefly wondered who decided a girl like this should have such an important job.

"My name is Zukto. I have not done anything particularly important except I moved from Charcai to Hyrule a while ago. When I came to Hyrule, I began training at the Spirit Temple in Gerudo Valley." The girl seemed pleased.

"Don't worry; everything is as it should be. Or something like that. So I guess it's my turn. Zukto, my name is Nari! I have been waiting for you for oh-so-long! Now that you're here though, we can begin the test! Come on; don't be shy!" Zukto was wondering what he needed to not be shy about when Nari practically jumped on him.

"Aaannnd we're off!" Nari giggled as the two magically disappeared.

Suddenly, back at the Temple, the doors on the left and right sides of the room where Zukto and Zelda lay opened up. Nabooru and Kyoshiro were a little surprised at first because they had grown accustomed to the silence and stillness. They looked at each other.

"As much as I don't want to say this, we have to leave Zukto and Zelda here. And, you and I have to split up. Which pathway speaks to you; left or right?" Nabooru asked.

"The right path. So I take it we can meet up again after we've cleared the next couple of rooms?"

"I assume as much. Good luck Kyoshiro. Be careful." Nabooru stole one last glance at Zukto and Zelda before running off. Kyoshiro took his time getting to his door.

When Zukto could see again after being magically teleported, he looked around at his new surroundings. To his surprise, he was in familiar territory again; he was standing in the Gerudo Fortress. Nari got re-animated when she saw that Zukto was okay.

"Sorry, sorry! I might have overdone it. I forgot for a second that you are mortal." Nari looked embarrassed, but she was laughing like it was no big deal. Zukto sighed. She was a handful.

"Well, what now?"

"What do you mean; what now?"

"Well, er, what… what am I supposed to do…" Zukto muttered, almost feeling stupid for asking.

"What do you think?" Nari asked. Her voice was not condescending, but Zukto still felt like he was missing something incredibly obvious. He excused himself and started to wander through the Fortress. The structure appeared to be pretty similar to what he was used to, but of course the rooms were decorated differently. He needed just a little time to get re-oriented. After several minutes, Zukto found himself standing before two Gerudo guardswomen. When he approached, they unsheathed their curved swords and there was an excited look in their eyes; they were ready to fight. Zukto held up his arms in front of him.

"Look, I am not here to fight you." He said. But he was immediately confused, because what came out of his mouth sounded weird to him. It was not Hylian; Zukto suspected that it was some form of the Gerudo's native tongue. But the women in front of him seemed to understand him without a problem.

"So why have you come here, outsider?"

"I am searching for the Master of Spirit. I am to be tested." Again, he was freely speaking a language he never learned how to speak. It was unnerving. He tried to think about what caused the sudden switch… perhaps it was due to Nari's influence?

"Yeah? Well, let's see about that." One of the women headed through a doorway that the two were guarding together. When she returned, another woman followed her. Zukto gasped in spite of himself when he saw her. He bowed.

"Master Nabooru, I am ready for the test." This time, he was trying his hardest to ignore how weird it was for him to form a sentence in one language but speak the same sentence in another language. As Zukto spoke, the woman he called Nabooru looked surprised.

"You know my name, stranger?"

"Of course I do. You are the ancestor of my current Master. Are you the original Sage Nabooru of legend?" When Zukto finished talking, Nabooru smiled.

"Are you Zukto, by chance? I have been waiting for you, child. Come." She disappeared behind the door again, and Zukto quickly followed her.

"I want to welcome you to the Gerudo Fortress… but I guess that is rather unnecessary considering where you live." Nabooru chuckled, flipping through the pages of a book.

"Well, I live 'here,' but things definitely changed after several centuries you know."

"Oh come now, it is not proper form to mention a lady's age." Nabooru said, winking.

"You are right; I apologize, Master Nabooru."

"Hm, why are you so serious all of a sudden? Are you afraid of me?" Nabooru looked like she was fake pouting.

"If you don't mind me asking… what do I need to do here? As much as I like being here with you, there are people back in my Realm that need me." Nabooru smiled sincerely at Zukto when he finished.

"Right you are. I am really glad that you have people you think are worth fighting for. Your convictions and dedication will help you along on your journey; make no mistake about that. But as for what we must do here… I am to test you by teaching you a skill very important to the Gerudo. Ironically, despite its importance, the Gerudo you know almost entirely forgot about it."

"What kind of skill is it?"

"You are going to learn how to control Iron Knuckles."

"… Excuse me?" Zukto practically choked on his own words. He stared at Nabooru in disbelief.

"What, have you not heard of this skill before?"

"… No… n-never." For some reason, Zukto began to doubt himself in regards to being Nabooru's student.

"Oh, well… I am not really surprised... but anyway, it isn't your fault. Do not worry about it. Now you'll find out everything about it." Nabooru smiled encouragingly at Zukto before leading him to the Training Grounds.

Princess Zelda could not help but smile to herself as she and Wrath walked arm in arm through a long corridor. Usually she would have shied away from walking like this with a guy, but this time felt different. Maybe she was just excited to meet the ancestor of her Master. Finally, Wrath stopped before a large, dark curtain. The curtain seemed to serve the function of a door.

"Master of Shadow, it is I, Wrath. I have brought a visitor." He explained. Zelda heard movement from behind the curtain; someone was approaching. When the curtain was pulled back to reveal who was behind it, Zelda kneeled down on one knee.

"Master Impa, I am honored to meet you." As Zelda spoke, the woman called Impa looked amused.

"Oh, I see. I have a visitor from another era; is that it?"

"Y-yes. I am here to pass the trials you administer." Impa looked pleased with Zelda's eagerness.

"I can sense that you are indeed the student of Shadow I am to train. Come, my dear." Impa silently led the way through a series of passageways. In the passageways there was little light, but eventually they found a larger room that was filled with torches. Every torch was lit. The crackling of the flames was loud because of all of the torches located in one area.

"This is the entrance to the Shadow Temple." Impa explained. Zelda nodded knowingly; though it might be very different now than it was in her time, the idea was still the same.

"What must I do?"

"You must fight your way through a series of challenges. A true hero must be able to balance Power, Wisdom, and Courage. I know without a doubt that Wisdom is a trait you cherish. You are the descendant of the Hylian Royal blood line, and thus you were destined to bear the Triforce of Wisdom just as the Princess Zelda does in my time. But Wisdom is simply not enough. So your Power and Courage shall be tested. Are you ready, Princess Zelda?"

"I am ready, Master Impa."

"Go forth. Do not falter. I have faith that you will triumph over the challenges that face you within the Shadow Temple. When you have completed the challenges, Wrath will escort you back to me." With a slight smile, Impa took her leave. Alone now, Zelda closed her eyes. She focused on the sound of her breathing.

 _I can do this. I must do this. Failure is not an option._

After taking those few moments for herself, Zelda entered the Shadow Temple proper. Several hallways lead her deeper and deeper underground. Eventually, she reached a large room that had several floating platforms scattered about.

 _I assume that I will have to do battle here._ Zelda thought, trying to steel herself. She was not particularly afraid of heights, but this kind of "arena" was dangerous. One wrong move… Ignoring her misgivings, Zelda traveled to the central platform. When she reached it, the smaller platforms that led her to the center all fell away: she was trapped. It was obvious that any minute, some kind of monster would appear… and Zelda's prediction came true.

From seemingly nowhere, two Lizalfos appeared. They cried out in excitement when they saw Zelda, but only one of them approached to do battle. For some reason, Lizalfos were incredibly patient foes and would only fight their prey one at a time. Zelda grinned, and immediately went on the offensive. She charged up a sphere of magic and fired it at the enemy. It staggered, but shook itself off and lunged at Zelda with a dagger. Zelda quickly side-stepped out of the trajectory of the dagger, and grabbed the shadow of the Lizalfos while it tried to recover. The creature shrieked in confusion and pain as Zelda forced it to run itself through. She smirked triumphantly as the Lizalfos collapsed in a bloody heap.

"Your turn!" Zelda declared, pointing at the remaining monster. Before the monster could even reach Zelda, she fired three shots at it; one shot at the monster's dagger-wielding arm, one shot at the chest, and another at the monster's head. The Lizalfos was stunned from the assault and dropped its dagger. Quickly, Zelda ran to where the dagger lay and picked it up herself. Now the enemy possessed no weapon. To finish it off, Zelda focused her energy into her arms. She thrust them forward, like she wanted to push the Lizalfos. Though she did not physically make contact with the monster, her shadow did: her shadow pushed the Lizalfos' shadow, which in turn caused the monster to fall off the edge of the platform. Nothing about the arena changed after the first two foes fell, so Zelda assumed there would be more monsters.

This time, two Dinalfos appeared. These monsters were much more aggressive than their relative the Lizalfos. Both of the reptilian monsters wielded maces.

"This shall be fun. Come, let us play." Zelda narrowed her eyes and grinned as one of the Dinalfos fast approached her. Just as the enemy was going to lift the mace over its head to strike Zelda, she lunged forward with the dagger and drove it through the monster with the assistance of her magic. It staggered backward onto the cold stone platform. Quickly, she snatched the mace from the felled Dinalfos in order to face the second one which was not far behind. The monster hesitated slightly after seeing what happened to its friend.

"What, afraid of me? Get over yourself." Zelda used her magic to manipulate her arm's shadow. A shadowy hand raised up from the ground and took hold of the mace for her, wildly swinging it at the monster's head. The mace connected with the side of the monster's face, and it shrieked in pain. It staggered backwards.

"Good. I hope it hurts." She sneered, before starting to bludgeon the Dinalfos repeatedly. Blood began to flow from the monster's nose and face, and some got on Zelda's outfit, but she was still wearing her blood-stained outfit from earlier so it was not a huge concern. Eventually the monster collapsed onto the ground, lifeless. Zelda was breathing heavily because of her rage-fueled assault of the Dinalfos. She looked at her badly beaten foe, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt for going overboard. But something in the back of her mind demanded, pleaded even, that she become even more aggressive.

 _Princess… you are holding back. You have more Power than this, I know. You are capable of so much more. Just let go. If you join with me, nobody will be able to stop us._

"I am capable… of so much more…?"

 _Of course. It is a shame that you cannot watch me while I vanquish our foes. It is a thing of beauty._

"… Stop talking to me. I am not like… that…" Zelda struggled to get her words out. The influence of her other half was becoming overwhelming. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed throughout the room. The crash broke the other person's concentration, giving Zelda full control again, though Zelda was spooked by the sound too.

"What the hell was that…?" She muttered as she looked around. It felt better not having her other self trying to take over her mind, but she was still ill-at-ease due to her surroundings.

Eventually, Zelda found the source of the noise; a group of Stalfos broke a pillar on the far side of the room. The pillar fell on the central platform which Zelda had been stuck on. The band of Stalfos warriors used the pillar as a bridge and began crossing it. Noticing that there was at least five, if not more Stalfos, Zelda began firing shot after shot of her magic at the skeletal warriors. The first one was not paying attention, and was hit directly by Zelda's attack. The monster staggered and fell backwards on top of the next warrior in line. One of the warriors in the back grew impatient from the interruption, and jumped clear over the wreckage. It charged straight at Zelda!

"Ah, I have never met a foe so eager to become acquainted with its own demise!" Zelda chuckled to herself as she prepared to face off with this admittedly impressive adversary. The warrior immediately lunged at her with its jagged, bloodied sword. Zelda erected a magical barrier between her and the sword; the sword bounced harmlessly off of the shield. This greatly annoyed the Stalfos. Unexpectedly, the skeleton began relentlessly head butting the magical shield. Zelda stepped back, a little nervous. It was unusual for Stalfos to engage in combat with anything besides swordsmanship. Within moments, the warrior shattered the barrier. It looked triumphant for a moment before trying to attack Zelda again.

Zelda quickly jumped back from the sword's trajectory. In the split second after the skeletal warrior tried to attack her and failed, Zelda used the opening the monster left to grab its shadow. The monster tried to fight back against Zelda's influence, and for a moment, Zelda was afraid it was going to win. But the thought of failing was utterly unacceptable to her. She pushed extra power into her arms, allowing her to get a firm grip of the skeleton's sword-wielding arm. With a dramatic swing, Zelda imitated running a sword through her head. The skeleton responded to her movements by raising its sword above its head and running it through its own skull. The beast collapsed.

Zelda did not notice it until now, but she was panting and sweat was trickling down her face. She hastily rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"What… next…" She gasped. All too soon, she got her answer. The heavy clanking of armor reverberated throughout the room. Zelda suddenly felt sick when she realized what was coming.

Eventually, Zelda's foe came into view. Of course, her foe was an Iron Knuckle.

 _Dammit… I wonder if she knows about the incident I had earlier…_ Zelda cursed her luck, but knew that she had to come up with something.

 _I need a weapon like the Iron Knuckle. That would make things easier…_ Zelda thought, glancing around quickly. Without a moment's pause, she pulled the long, jagged sword of the Stalfos out of its fractured skull. She summoned another shadowy hand like before, allowing it to wield the weapon she retrieved. Her extra hand gave the sword a few practice swings as she stared intently at the walking armor which was getting closer.

Finally, the Iron Knuckle was mere feet in front of her. She felt a little faint, and noticed that she was shaking slightly. Her nerves were getting the better of her. The Iron Knuckle, naturally, took no notice of any internal crises that Zelda was grappling with; the enemy swung its axe widely before it. Zelda quickly jumped out of the way, and dashed back up to the Iron Knuckle to strike while there was an opening. The enemy was extremely slow to react, and suffered a direct hit by the sword she borrowed. It staggered a bit, but did not waste time staging a counterattack. Zelda quickly fell back to avoid the attack. If she got hit just once, she feared that she would be unable to continue the fight against her foe.

The two slowly circled each other and took turns swinging at one another and guarding against the blows of their foe. Zelda could feel her energy draining fast; she was already tired from earlier, and she had not been able to rest between the battles.

 _Are you tired? Hm? How about I take over? I can take care of it in no time._

"Shut it." Zelda snapped at the voice in her head. She was not in the mood.

 _Hm, so rude. Well, I guess I will just let you bleed to death when it hits you._

"You say that, but you and I know very well that you would never let me die while you reside in my body; you need me." Zelda retorted. The voice did not respond right away.

 _Be that as it may… this foe of yours is not any closer to perishing. And you cannot keep this up forever._

"Watch me."

 _I must admit that your defiance is enthralling. You remind me of myself._

"Do not… how dare you—how dare you compare me to you!" Zelda yelled. Her frustration was nearly palpable.

 _Ahahaha, yes… you are so easy to provoke. I quite enjoy it._

That comment particularly made Zelda's blood boil, but the Iron Knuckle unexpectedly lunged at her with its sword. Without thinking, Zelda threw the sword she was using up between herself and the Iron Knuckle. The swords clashed together. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she suspected that the Iron Knuckle would be able to push right past her pitiful defense. Surprisingly, it seemed as though the two were locked in a stalemate; each one pushed against the other, hoping to stagger their foe to create an opening.

 _You are so careless; he could have run you through. Be thankful that I am lending you my power._

"I do not need you to bail me out, okay? This is _my_ foe." Zelda said forcefully as she suddenly grabbed the shadow of the Iron Knuckle. It instantly struggled against her, making manipulation difficult at best. All Zelda could manage was to wrestle the Iron Knuckle's weapon away from it. She tossed the sword somewhere behind her.

"Th-there… now… you are not… such a big threat." Zelda muttered, panting. She was nearly spent. Suddenly, her other half tried to force her to forfeit control.

"Agghh, no…! I want to stay myself! No, no, no…! Z-zukto, help me…!" Zelda cried, struggling to remain conscious. Her head felt like it was being crushed; the pressure was so great. There was no two ways about it; the amount of power her other half possessed was increasing every day, and it already had a lot to begin with. Suddenly, as if on cue, Zukto appeared in the arena! He looked around and saw Zelda practically writhing in pain from the influence of her other half; he instantly grew concerned. The Iron Knuckle, while Zelda could not watch it, retrieved its lost weapon.


	12. Clearing the Second Temple

Zukto knew he had to act quickly in order to save Zelda. He first drew the Iron Knuckle's attention away from Zelda. Then he remembered, a bit too late, that he was at a distinct disadvantage against his foe; the Iron Knuckle was slower, but it powerfully swung its massive weapon in a wide arc in front of itself whenever Zukto got too close. In addition, his arrows could not pierce the solid armor of his foe. After dodging several swings, he noticed the sword that Zelda took from the Stalfos laying at her side; she dropped it when she stole the Iron Knuckle's weapon. Zukto quickly ran to her to pick it up. He felt guilty for leaving her side so soon, because it was apparent that her condition was not improving, but he could not allow the Iron Knuckle to get too close to her while she was practically defenseless.

When he was far enough away from Zelda, Zukto swung his new-found weapon at the Iron Knuckle to make sure its attention stayed with him. He wanted to establish himself as the threat. They began circling each other, swinging their blades when they thought they had an opening. But more often than not, Zukto missed. He was not trained to wield swords, and he was nervous to make matters even worse. He needed to get closer to connect his blows, but the Iron Knuckle was too great a threat at closer ranges. Feeling a bit pressed for options, Zukto did the first thing that popped into his head.

"Zelda! You have to get up! I need your help!" He called out. Zelda did not respond to him, though she was still conscious and realized that he needed her. She was still desperately fighting with her other self. When Zukto's voice reached her, the pain in her head miraculously subsided. She could think clearly.

"I have had **enough**!" Zelda yelled suddenly, startling Zukto. Her voice echoed throughout the arena, and a sudden burst of energy helped her fight off her mental assailant. She stood up, fully alert and in control once again. Her eyes blazed with strength.

"Zukto, do not give up! I am rejoining the battle!" She replied earnestly. She charged up an orb of energy and fired it at the Iron Knuckle's head. It was not expecting the attack, and staggered slightly.

"Zukto, you have to disarm it! Now!" Zelda ordered. Zukto was relieved to see that she had been able to overcome her episode. He quickly struck the armor once, twice, and then a third time. With the third hit, he knocked the Iron Knuckle's weapon out of its right arm.

"Good work! Now let us finish it together." Zelda finally joined Zukto by his side. He smiled with gratitude.

"I am glad that you are better, Princess. Was it your other self again?" He could not hide the concern in his voice, but Zelda was not really paying attention.

"Yes, but it is thanks to you that I was able to fight it off. Speaking of a fight, we have a fight to finish ourselves. We should not waste any more time." Zelda quickly grabbed the shadow of the Iron Knuckle's weapon and gave it a practice swing. The enemy started backing up, understanding that it was in danger. Zelda, growing accustomed to the weight of her newly acquired weapon, gave chase. The Iron Knuckle tried to run, but the weight of its armor prevented it from making much progress. Zukto cut it off, to assist Zelda. While it glanced around the arena, looking for a way out of its predicament, Zelda went on the offensive.

She threw her weight into her swings, swinging her enemy's own weapon at it. She struck it several times. It staggered backwards, but was still alive. With a final burst of strength, she ran her enemy through. Slowly, the Iron Knuckle sank to its knees and collapsed on the ground. Seeing that it was lifeless, Zelda too fell to her knees.

"We… we… won… right?" Zelda panted. She felt the sweat dripping from her face, something she had been unaware of until now. The adrenaline in her system was dying down, and she felt mentally and physically exhausted. Hastily, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand again. Just then a dark cocoon appeared and unraveled itself, revealing Wrath.

"You vanquished your foes." Wrath observed. Zukto raised an eyebrow as he studied the strange being that suddenly appeared. At least Nari _looked_ human; This being could not pass for a human in any sane person's mind. He struck Zukto as what a person might look like if they were half-human, half-shadow. He had arms and legs, and a human-like body, but his 'skin' appeared to be a partially-transparent black color.

 _This must be Zelda's equivalent of Nari. But why did I get stuck with someone so hyperactive?_

"Wrath… Thank the Goddesses… you are here…" Zelda was still trying to catch her breath.

"You have finished here according to Master Impa, so come with me." Wrath said, seemingly ignoring Zelda's condition. He made no verbal acknowledgement of it, and his voice did not contain a hint of concern as far as Zukto could hear. He realized then how similar the two were, but he felt bad for Zelda regardless.

"Wrath, is it? I will get her. I think she is too exhausted to move much." Zukto hurriedly went to Zelda and picked her up. He felt like if he took too long, Wrath would scold him.

When Zukto had Zelda in his arms, Wrath outstretched one of his hands.

"Take my hand, Zukto." Wrath commanded.

 _Wait, how does he know my name? Eh, I guess it doesn't matter much anyway._

Zukto approached Wrath, but a thought suddenly dawned on him. Grabbing Wrath's outstretched hand, while carrying Zelda, would be nigh-impossible. He quickly came up with a solution, however.

"Princess, please take his hand." Zukto requested. She wordlessly extended a hand and linked it with Wrath's. The same cocoon of darkness that signaled his arrival appeared to envelop the three of them and carried them away from the arena.

When Zukto's vision restored itself, he saw that they were standing before a woman. Zelda was still in his arms, though unresponsive. Zukto panicked mentally, but his misgivings must have been written on his face because the woman spoke suddenly.

"Zukto, do not worry. The Princess is fine." She spoke very matter-of-factly, but there was a hint of a calming smile on her otherwise stern face.

"… Y-you're right. She's fine… I just… why am I here?" Zukto asked, confusion clearly etching itself into his features. The woman looked surprised briefly, but the surprise did not last long.

"Zelda called out to you when she was in danger, Zukto. She somehow was able to transport you here, it seems. I did not expect her to be capable of that; certainly no regular person would have the power necessary to do so."

"W-what do you mean…? Sorry, things are just incredibly unclear for me right now… but excuse my awful manners; what is your name? You clearly already know me."

 _I am not entirely sure about what she was talking about... something about ordinary people not having the magical power to... summon someone? Maybe Zelda herself doesn't, but... that being inside of her... maybe her other self has the power necessary._

"My name is Impa. I am the Master of Shadow. Do not worry; I am not so full of myself that I expected you to know who I was. We Sages, if we live according to the teachings of the Gods, do not boast about our accomplishments or positions. We must live detached from everything else and away from the public eye, because attachment to superfluous things blinds us from the work that is most important. While we are speaking, I must explain something that may impact your mission. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sage Impa."

"Zelda, the Princess from your time, is fighting against malevolent magic. I think the both of us can agree that each time she has an 'attack,' it is worse than the one that came before it. A being of terrible power grows inside her. Zelda's power is growing as well, but the levels of growth between her and her other self are unequal against Zelda's favor. In other words, Zelda is losing the struggle. Based on how things are escalating, she can no longer deal with this situation on her own. You must help her, Zukto; you might be the only one who can."

"Help? I need to help her? But how? I barely even…" Zukto was crestfallen, because he could only think about how much he did not know about his friend. She spent so much of her time shutting everyone out, and apparently this habit of hers was beginning to negatively impact her life.

"You must find my successor, the one who works in the Shadow Temple of your time period. She will have a better idea of what to do. I apologize, but I cannot help you here. We are too isolated from your world and time, so my powers here will not be of much use where you need to return to. As I understand it, my successor is Zelda's teacher. I am proud that the descendants of the Shadow Temple still report to the Royal Family. This will be of great benefit to you. Speaking of great benefits… Wrath?"

"Yes, Master?"

"You will accompany Zelda and Zukto. I know that you will be of greater assistance to them than you can be for me."

"Master, your idea is one befitting your wisdom. I shall join them and keep watch. Shall I report back to you, should something happen?"

"Yes; now go. There is important work for them to continue in the Desert Colossus." Zukto noticed Impa, and the world around him, disappearing in a haze.

Zukto sat upright with a start. He quickly looked around the room to figure out where he was. All of the inter-realm traveling was messing up his sense of location and direction. The room appeared to be the very same one he was in before he passed out. No one else was in the room for him, save Princess Zelda; she appeared to be out of it still.

… _Was that whole thing a dream… or…_ Zukto thought, running a hand idly through his hair. At any rate, what Impa said was right; they had important work to do. Zukto approached Zelda and gently nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, Princess, we need to go…" He muttered softly. He heard a groan in response, and Zelda stirred.

"… Zukto, is that you?" She muttered, sitting up. Immediately, she raised a hand to her head and sighed. Slowly, she opened her eyes as if afraid the light from the Temple would hurt her eyes.

"Yes."

"I feel so worn out. Though I guess I should not be surprised; I have had similar experiences before."

"Similar… experiences? Before? You've been…" Before Zukto could finish his thought, he heard girlish giggling and a new weight on his shoulders. He knew what was up without even looking back.

"Nari… hello." Zukto tried to be polite, but he failed to hide the annoyance in his voice. Nari was either oblivious or simply unfazed: her behavior persisted.

"Zukto! You remember me! You are such a good student!" She declared, beaming. Zelda was watching the spectacle, unable to hide the look of confusion mixed with indignation that overcame her ordinarily stoic face. Zukto noticed something, and did not want Zelda to feel left out of the party.

"Princess, behind you…" Zukto muttered. Wrath was standing behind her. Zelda looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Wrath, you are here? Why?"

"Princess, while you were unconscious after the fight Master Impa commanded that I accompany you on your quest. Use me as you see fit: I am bound to serve you. It also appears as if the Spirit Brat is joining us too. I ought to mention, however, that we are not here to answer your every beck and call; our powers are much greater than yours, so we are mainly here in case you find yourselves in a dire situation that is a bit beyond your abilities. In other words, we will remain on standby until you are in great danger or you are unable to overcome an obstacle on your own." Wrath's voice changed ever-so-slightly when he mentioned Nari. Zelda and Zukto both looked intrigued. Nari dislodged herself from Zukto and put her hands on her hips in protest; she looked grumpy.

"Wrath, you are so mean! I am not a brat!" Nari whined. It was apparent that the two knew each other because of how familiarly they spoke together.

"Only brats whine. You would think that after several centuries, someone in your position would outgrow such childish behavior." He taunted. Nari pouted even more.

"Hey… we have to find the artifact here…" Zukto reminded everyone, trying to get them to stop. Everyone quieted, thankfully. Nari ran off first, followed by Zukto, Zelda, and finally Wrath. They approached the two doors that had been locked earlier. Now, they were unsure of what to do.

"Can we just pick a door, or is there something very specific for us to do here?" Zelda asked. Zukto thought to himself for a moment.

"Might I offer a suggestion? I see that this door here is marked with a symbol. It is too dirty to discern, however; try cleaning it off." Wrath suggested.

"I will clean it." Zukto offered, not wanting Zelda to do it. He rubbed his hand over the door, leaving trails where dust used to be. He eventually found something red under the layers of dust, so he focused on clearing off the red pattern. Eventually, a painted red eye looked at the travelers from the door.

"What does this mean?" Zukto asked.

"You understand it, do you not Princess?" Wrath asked. Zelda looked at the back of her left hand, on her brace. The Sheikah symbol stared back at her.

"Zukto, we must split up." Without a second to spare, Zelda disappeared behind the door with the red eye. Zukto wanted to chase her, to call out to her to get her to stop… but he knew it was useless. He left through the opposite door begrudgingly.

As Zelda looked around the next room, she noticed someone fighting some Dinolfos further towards the opposite end of the room. He appeared to be a skilled swordsman, because he knew exactly when to go on the offensive and when to switch to defensive maneuvers against his reptilian foes. He carried a large shield in his right hand, while he wielded a sword with his left. Zelda thought it curious that he was wearing all green, but thinking about what he was wearing made her remember about herself with a start. He did not know her, she did not know him, and she was worried what sort of reaction he might have towards her face.

Instead of putting on her full body cloak, Zelda decided to make use of another garment she was wearing. Attached to her asymmetrical cape was a cowl that hung around her neck like a scarf. She quickly pulled the cowl up over her face. The cowl covered almost her entire face, just showing her mouth and chin. Though the cloth of the cowl appeared to be blocking her vision, there was a large, red eye where her eyes and forehead would be. The red eye appeared to be solid to anyone who looked at her, but the eye actually had tightly-woven mesh under it. Zelda was able to see through the large Sheikah symbol on the cowl while still hiding her face to strangers. This was one of her favorite garments, as it honored the Sheikah as well as being an effective way to psyche out enemies. The person finished off his foe, and with a dramatic flourish, sheathed his sword. He noticed Zelda standing off a ways, and paused for a moment as if deciding what to do. Curiosity got the better of him, clearly; he began to approach the mysterious figure.

"You there; why have you come here? This is no place for civilians. You should leave; it is dangerous." He said sternly.

He could not help but notice the unique garb worn by the stranger; he had never seen anything like it, though he could swear that he had seen a large eye before like the one that was staring at him from the person's hood.

"I should say the same to you." Zelda responded guardedly.

"I am a swordsman. I can defend myself, so I do not worry about the danger." He was now standing directly in front of her. Zelda noticed his piercing blue eyes, and blonde hair. His ears were long like hers; so he was a Hylian too. Unexpectedly, Zelda felt a blush creep up her face.

 _Ah! What is wrong with me?_

"I do not shy from danger, either; I am a practitioner of magic." She explained. The man carefully watched her. He seemed to be watching for something specific; it must have been hard because he could not see her face.

"Why do you hide your face, stranger?" He asked suddenly. Zelda was completely taken aback by the question, and was silent for a while.

"I do not see why hiding my face is any of your concern, swordsman." Zelda replied tersely.

"It is a little… suspicious." The swordsman countered, narrowing his eyes slightly. Zelda frowned.

"You find me suspicious? Will you fight me, then? If you do, I should warn you that Nabooru will come to my aid."

"Nabooru? Oh… I do recall that some Gerudo guards mentioned that Nabooru, their leader, already made her way to the Spirit Temple. So you work with her, then? I personally have never met the Gerudo leader."

"Why are you here then? The Spirit Temple is a sacred place." Zelda asked. The man looked at her for a bit, as if weighing his options. He outstretched his hand, and his previously serious face was lightened by a smile.

"My name is Link. I received a message from the Goddesses that I must discover the secrets of this place." Zelda's perception of the man before her did a complete about-face when he mentioned the Goddesses. Immediately, she offered him her hand so they could shake. It was not something she was accustomed to doing, since she was royalty, but she did not want to be treated differently from common Hylians. When their hands almost touched however, the Triforce of Wisdom on the back of her right hand suddenly lit up. She flinched slightly. Just as her Triforce lit up, it appeared as though the same thing happened to Link!

"Ah! That is… you are the bearer of the Triforce of Courage!" Zelda exclaimed.

"And so it seems that you are the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom." Link remarked, highly amused.

"So… are you… the Legendary Hero?"

"Well, I suppose I am related to the Heroes of Time and Wind that the legends describe, but I personally have done nothing that I consider to be heroic. Perhaps, if I continue to follow the directions of the Gods, I will find out whether or not I am truly a hero. But… enough about me… The Gods actually told me to find you, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. Now that I have found you… may I have your name?"

"My name is… Zelda."

"Zelda? Like so many bearers of the Triforce of Wisdom before you… That means you are the Princess of Hyrule, are you not?"

 _It is certainly a logical assumption that she would be the princess, given the fact that she bears Wisdom... but you know... I do not recall the King having a daughter who is so close to my age. This is quickly becoming interesting._

"Y-yes, I am." When Zelda answered, Link kneeled down before her.

"I apologize for behaving so rudely to you, Princess. Had I known who you were to begin with…"

"Stop, Link. I… I order you to rise. Do not humble yourself in front of me. You are my equal: there is no need to treat me differently just because of who my father is." Zelda explained. Link looked up at her, clearly surprised. But he smiled again as he stood up.

"You… are a very noble, and just, Princess. If you are to be our Queen, why… Hyrule shall flourish like never before." Zelda was nearly stunned into silence; she did not know what to say.

 _No one has ever said that to me before... Hyrule would flourish under my leadership? N-no, I cannot take the bait. Hyrule does not need me; the fact that I was born the princess and not someone else was just a matter of coincidence, anyway. It easily could have been anyone else, right?_

"Princess, is everything okay?"

"Y-yes. Sorry. I was just thinking… anyway, I am not here alone. You must meet my partners."

With that, Zelda left through the next door. Link followed closely behind her.

Zukto was already with Nabooru and Kyoshiro. The pair of them found a dead end earlier, and decided it was best if everyone met up before they discussed strategies to move forward.

"So… you two have not been here too long, right?"

"Don't worry about us. We're fine." Kyoshiro waved off Zukto's concern.

"Thank you for the consideration Zukto, but I have a feeling that time moved differently in the realm you were in, as opposed to how time moves here in Hyrule. You may have been gone for what seemed to be several hours, but time did not pass as much for us. Anyway, Kyoshiro and I had a bit of fighting to do to get this far. Right?" Nabooru seemed in pretty good spirits.

"Of course. But the fighting was simple. I could have done it with both of my hands tied." Kyoshiro bragged. Nabooru chuckled.

"… Where is the Princess? She left before I did, but somehow…" Zukto started.

"The Princess is over there!" Nari suddenly shouted, scaring Nabooru and Kyoshiro.

"Who is that?!" Nabooru cried.

"Oh… this is… Nari. She worked for the original Sage of Spirit centuries ago, but after I finished training with the Ancient Sage her Master told her that she needed to accompany me on my journey. I know she is pretty gifted with magic, though I do not know all of what she is capable of." Zukto explained to his friends, feeling a bit exasperated. Nari giggled. Kyoshiro already looked annoyed with her. Zukto felt a bit stupid because he honestly forgot about her. She was so quiet up until a moment ago…

Just as Nari pointed out, Zelda was not far off. A door opened, and someone wearing a hood stepped out from behind it. At first Zukto was confused: looking at the way the person was dressed, he assumed it was Zelda. After all, the person had the same body suit as she did. What was different, though, was the hood. Zelda had not worn it before, so Zukto had not known what it was supposed to be. Now that it was covering most of her face, he could see that the hood had a large eye printed on it. Zukto briefly wondered why she was hiding her face, and how she could even see where she was going, until he caught sight of Link.

… _Who is that?_ Zukto narrowed his eyes a bit as he studied the stranger following Zelda. Zelda did not seem to pay the 'stranger' any mind; she ran right up to everyone.

"Finally, we are reunited! For some reason, it feels like it has been a while!" Zelda declared. Everyone smiled at her because they could tell she was in a good mood, although Zukto's smile did not last long.

"Who is that?" He nodded in Link's direction, who was still heading towards the group.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce Link. He is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, and is related to the legendary Hero of Time. He was told to come here and investigate, so I figured we can all work together. We have the same goals, after all." As soon as Zelda finished the introduction, Nabooru sauntered up to Link.

"Hm, the Gods know how to pick their heroes." She flirted, smiling mischievously. Link looked taken aback at first, but he could not help but laugh. Next, Kyoshiro approached Link and held out his hand.

"I think you and I will get along; I respect fellow swordsmen. We should train together." Kyoshiro's eyes lit up in anticipation. Link eagerly shook Kyo's hand.

"I would like that. Thanks for having me." He looked very appreciative.

"Ah, yes, I suppose everyone needs names. Link, that woman is Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. She is the Leader of the Gerudo tribe. The man who shook your hand is Kyoshiro. He is a bounty hunter in Hyrule. That girl who cannot keep still is Nari; she is helping us on the orders of her Master, who is the original Sage of Spirit. Oh yes, and speaking of Sages, this is Wrath…" Zelda paused, because Wrath was nowhere to be seen. When he heard his name, however, he rose from Zelda's shadow.

"I am the disciple of the original Sage of Shadow. I am Nari's counterpart." Wrath explained. Link was a bit taken aback by Wrath's red eyes and partially translucent body. Zelda did not notice, because she was a bit mentally preoccupied with the person she still had to introduce.

"And that… is Zukto. He is our leader. The Gods told him that he had to find us…" Zukto was not sure if he was imagining things, but it seemed as if Zelda said his name in a different way than normal. It was… not stern, strict, condescending or abrupt. It was almost… but the activity of the group broke his train of thought.

"Everyone, I am pleased to meet you. I never realized such a diverse group of people had been called together to do the Gods' work. Together, we have a great chance at succeeding." When Link finished, several of the group members smiled at him. Zukto did not.

… _I do not trust him. Why does the Princess treat me like I have no idea what I am doing, and yet she believes every word that comes out of this guy's mouth?! I do not like this at all._

"Well, since we are all together again, what is our plan of attack?" Zelda asked. Everyone looked at one another, and then at Zukto. Zukto was instinctively going to protest, but then he remembered he was their leader; trying to come up with a plan, he looked around carefully. There was a large door nearby, but it seemed impossible to open. There were no handles, no levers, no buttons, and no locks.

"I think we can all agree that we must move beyond this door. But _how_ we do that… must be explored further." Zukto muttered out loud.

"Well… I see that there is a statue of an Iron Knuckle guarding this door. Off to the left there. And now, look opposite that Iron Knuckle… there is a pedestal here. I have a feeling that there used to be _two_ Iron Knuckles at this door." Link observed. Everyone followed his explanation, and there was a general murmur of agreement.

"So… we have to find the missing Iron Knuckle and guide it to its post. Fine." Zukto ran off, back through the door he originally came from. Everyone watched him leave, wondering what to do.

"We can stay. He doesn't need, nor want, our help." Kyoshiro said matter-of-factly.

"…How is he going to move a statue of an Iron Knuckle all by himself? Those things are heavy!" Nabooru looked confused.

"I don't know, nor care to be honest. Look, he ran off pretty determined to get this done so let's just see what happens. Zukto is no fool: you all know that quite well. I think he has an idea." Kyoshiro replied. Zelda thought what Kyoshiro said seemed strange at first, but it was almost as if Kyoshiro was supporting Zukto in his own weird way.

After passing the time with idle chatter for a bit, a strange noise reverberated throughout the room. Everyone looked at one another to see if someone knew what the source of the noise was. Suddenly, a huge bell-shaped object lowered itself from the ceiling. It stopped on the empty pedestal that was supposedly the home of an Iron Knuckle statue. The bell-shaped object glowed briefly, before slowly ascending back to its original home on the ceiling. As it ascended, it revealed something that was hiding underneath it—an Iron Knuckle statue was now positioned on the pedestal!

With the partner statue returned to its post, the door lit up with the symbol of the Spirit Temple and magically opened itself for the travelers.

"Ah! So Zukto had a plan after all!" Nabooru chuckled. She seemed rather impressed.

"Told ya." Kyoshiro grunted.

After a few moments, Zukto returned to the group.

"Shall we press on? I see that our idea worked." He appeared satisfied with the outcome.

"Excellent work, Zukto." Zelda said appreciatively. Zukto was taken aback, but moved by her thoughtful words.

"Oh, you know, it's just my job. Any of us would have done it…"

Everyone filed through the now open doors. Apprehension was settling on the group, because everyone had a feeling that their next challenge would be none other than the boss monster.

"Something awaits us." Zelda stated seriously.

"What do you sense, Princess?" Zukto asked.

"Whoever—or whatever it is—is very strong. This shall be a tough battle." She was intently staring off into the distance, likely in the direction of their foe. Link, their newest ally, looked a bit worried.

"Have you already fought equally dangerous foes?"

"Yes. We fought a powerful dragon in a distant land." Zelda responded.

"A distant land? You mean you left Hyrule? I did not realize that was even possible."

"Granted, we were only able to leave with the assistance of the Goddesses."

"That is enviable. When we have time, you must recount the tale of your journey." Link requested.

"That can be arranged." Zelda smiled briefly, but she was more focused on the fight ahead of them. Zukto felt uneasy suddenly when he imagined the two of them spending extra time together.

"Alright heroes, enough chatter!" Nabooru declared, pressing forward. Zukto let Kyoshiro pass him by so that he could be closer to the Princess. But unfortunately, Link flanked Zelda closely so Zukto could not be as near as he liked. He was getting annoyed with Link, but he could not just tell Link to go away; Zelda brought him along after all.

As the group walked down the hallway, Zelda finally removed the cowl from her face in anticipation of the upcoming battle. Link was struck by her appearance. She was literally unlike any person he had seen before, due to her long, braided, dark hair and her sharp, red eyes. It did not take him long to figure out the mark around her left eye was a scar. Everything about her seemed mysterious, and he was really curious about her.

"Princess, tell me… how did you come upon that scar?" He asked.

"… I cannot talk about it." Zelda answered abruptly.

"I understand. But if you ever want to talk, I will be here. And you have my full confidence."

"Thank you." Zelda replied curtly, as she was barely engaged in their conversation. She was not really paying attention, but did not know how to politely excuse herself from interacting with anyone at the moment. Link did not seem to notice her distance from the group, but Zukto did. He was relieved that he noticed she wanted to be left alone to her thoughts, unlike Link. Nabooru suddenly stopped ahead.

 _Ugh, I am getting tired of this thing. Why is my scar always what everyone wants to talk about? I wish I could use magic to alter my appearance, because I would most certainly hide this cursed mark. There is more to talk about than what my face happens to look like. People are so tiresome._ She clenched her fist briefly, feeling angry, but told herself to calm down. After all, she had to be focused for the fight ahead of them.

"We are here. Just behind this final door…" Zukto's teacher looked at everyone expectantly.

"There is no point in waiting here any longer." Zelda said, looking more determined than ever. She broke away from everyone else to lead the way into the lion's den.

As soon as Zelda entered the room, the ground shook violently. She steadied herself during the tremors, and kept her gaze ahead of her. Slowly, three Iron Knuckles rose up from the depths of the sand. The suit of armor in the middle was much larger than the two Iron Knuckles flanking it.

"… Princess, are you going to be okay…?" Zukto asked hesitantly.

"I am fine, because we are all here together. How are we fighting these things?" Of course she was still nervous; her mind kept flashing an image of a large suit of armor in a sandstorm, swinging its axe right at her... but she could not let her fear control her. Everyone would need to pull his or her weight in this fight.

"Um, well…" Zukto had to admit that he did not have a plan, although he thought that his new ability might be useful; if he ever had time to use it. Link drew his blade solemnly, and looked at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro followed Link's lead to arm himself, but he did not look as serious as his teammates. Nabooru was the only one who did not arm herself.

"This is not my fight. I will remain here, however, in case something goes awry. Zukto, you have been my student for long enough… this is your final test as far as I am concerned. I must see what you are capable of."

"Understood, Master Nabooru."

"Go on now! Make me proud!" Nabooru shouted as she dashed away from the group. Zukto turned his attention back to the group.

"Okay, so, I feel like…" Zukto started, observing the battlefield. "I feel like the smaller Iron Knuckles will interfere with our efforts to fell the big one. Therefore, we must draw the smaller enemies away from the larger one. Not only that; we must keep the big one at bay. It could easily take us out with a single blow. So…"

"So we need a distraction?" Zelda asked.

"Well… yes. More or less."

"I am on it. Go; you three must defeat the smaller Iron Knuckles." Zelda looked seriously at Kyoshiro, Link, and Zukto when she gave them their mission. Kyoshiro and Link immediately closed in on the nearest Iron Knuckle. Zukto stayed behind, looking at Zelda almost pleadingly.

"What are you worried about, Zukto? I have to do this. I defended you against dragons before. Please give me this chance to defend you again."

"… Be careful." He was reluctant to let her go by herself, but he knew he could not dissuade her. With his permission, Zelda headed to her target. Zukto turned his attention to the Iron Knuckle already grappling with Kyoshiro and Link. By this time, enough of the enemy's armor had been knocked off so Zukto's arrows could inflict damage. When the Iron Knuckle was fully outfitted, Zukto's arrows would harmlessly bounce off the thick armor. It was not long before the Iron Knuckle fell to its knees and collapsed on the ground; the three heroes defeated the first one. They switched targets.

Zelda stood before her gargantuan foe, amazed by its size. Its size was not the only anomaly; the armor style was not the same. There was also a weapon lodged in its chest.

 _I think… I should remove that weapon._ Zelda thought to herself.

Oddly enough, the big Iron Knuckle had not actually moved the entire time it sat in the arena; it almost seemed lifeless. Zelda noticed its shadow, so she resorted to her old trick; she grabbed onto the shadow of the large armored being. She directed its own arms to raise up so it could pull the weapon out of its resting place. Immediately, Zelda noticed how difficult it was to control her foe due to its weight. But the weapon came out without much problem. As soon as the monster was free of the foreign object, it sprung to action. Quickly, Zelda had to move out of the way of a preemptive swing by her massive foe. The weapon crashed into the ground, creating a large crater on impact and spreading debris everywhere.

Zukto noticed the disturbance and felt uneasy. But he had to focus on the enemy he already engaged. Somehow, the second Iron Knuckle they fought with could move faster than the first one even while still suited in its armor.

Zelda moved quickly and quietly through the cloud of debris and dust that the soldier stirred up after its first attack. She kept her eyes on it, searching for a weak point. Luckily, it was not hard to figure out; the weapon she removed earlier had left a permanent wound in its chest. She still had to devise a way to take advantage of her newly acquired knowledge, but she was not in a hurry.

The Iron Knuckle did not wait for the dust to settle before it began to move about the arena. Zelda was on her guard because her opponent could crush her flat without even using its weapon against her. Again, as if guided by something, it swung its powerful weapon in Zelda's direction. This time, she conjured a magical barrier between her and the large axe. The swing was incredibly powerful, and the energy of it almost destroyed Zelda's barrier on contact. She maintained her concentration just long enough to make sure the barrier lasted until she was safe. Then she let it fade away. She was winded from the aftershock of the blow, but she escaped harm otherwise.

The weapon fell straight to the ground after the barrier faded. The large Iron Knuckle was struggling to pull its weapon back up; it seemed to be stuck in the ground. Zelda bided her time, studying the Iron Knuckle's progress; just as the weapon was coming loose, Zelda grabbed the Iron Knuckle's shadow and used its strength against itself. Her enemy recoiled after it pulled the weapon up, and Zelda used the recoil to push the axe back into its chest wound. The armored soldier fell to its knees, clearly affected by the blow it suffered. The group of men finally finished the smaller foe, so they hustled to rejoin Zelda.

"Zelda!" Zukto yelled, unsure of where she was. The Iron Knuckle had disturbed the arena again, obscuring everyone's vision with dust. When the arena cleared enough for Zukto to see, he found Zelda standing a ways off from the enemy. She was clutching her right arm.

"Princess! Princess… Are you okay? What happened…?" Zukto gasped as he approached her, slightly out of breath. Kyoshiro and Link caught up momentarily.

"I… I am fine. Just exhausted…" She sighed, pausing. "I had to take a couple of risks in order to inflict damage on that thing." She explained after she gave herself a minute to catch her breath.

"Well, we finished with the others. We can take over from here." Zukto quickly said, wanting Zelda to end her involvement in the fight. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt.

"Princess, you must get back before our foe moves this way." Link stated.

"It will not move. When that weapon is stuck in its chest, it is incapable of moving."

"…Then what do we do?" Link seemed confused, because he was not aware of Zelda's abilities.

"Give me just a moment more. I should have strength enough to reawaken it." Zelda closed her eyes and focused all of her attention inwardly. She raised her arms and acted as if she was grabbing something invisible in front of her. Zukto motioned to Link and Kyo to make sure no one's shadow was intertwined with the shadow of her target. Link watched, utterly fascinated, as she grabbed a hold of the Iron Knuckle's arms and directed her own arms at her heart. She acted as if she was pulling something invisible from her chest. The large Iron Knuckle imitated her. As she said, once the weapon had been removed, the Iron Knuckle was active once more.

 _Dear Goddesses that is one awesome, and terrifying, ability…_ Link thought gravely.

"Run!" Zelda cried as she fell back to avoid another swing of the axe. On impact with the ground, more dust and debris flew about. Everyone scattered to avoid chunks of the ground and their foe.

"Princess…!" Zukto called worriedly, unable to see her.

"Yes?" She called back faintly. Zukto could barely hear her; he figured she was not close by. Again, he found himself wishing he had been born with the special Hylian ears that Kyoshiro, Link, and Zelda had. Due to their superior hearing, the other heroes found Zelda faster. Kyoshiro was the first person to reach her.

"I think Zukto needs you for something." He explained. Together, the two of them weaved their way through the settling dust and the wreckage caused by the fight. When everyone was together, the whole arena was visible once again.

"Ah Kyo, nice work finding her." Zukto smiled appreciatively.

"Let me guess; we need to distract this guy while you discuss a plan?" Kyo asked. Zukto nodded. Kyoshiro motioned at Link to follow him. Together, the two Hylian men engaged the Iron Knuckle.

"Princess, I apologize… but can I ask you to protect us once more?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded without saying anything. They quickly rejoined their friends in the battle.

"Everyone watch our foe closely and avoid the next swing it makes." Zelda commanded. She stood, rooted in place in front of the boss monster. Kyo and Zukto did as instructed; Link did not. Just as the gargantuan foe was lowering its deadly axe towards Zelda, Link ran at her. He grabbed her, fully intending to drag her out of harm's way, just as she erected her barrier to protect everyone. The barrier did protect them from the incoming impact of the axe for a brief moment, but Link's interference broke Zelda's concentration.

The barrier shattered all too soon because of her divided attention; without focusing all of her energy into a barrier, it was not strong enough to resist the assault. The weapon crashed into the ground, just barely avoiding Zelda and Link. Zelda lost consciousness due to mental exhaustion. She stumbled and fell, but Link caught her before she hit the ground. Zukto had not noticed any of this because Link and Zelda were behind him, and the weapon stuck in the ground was too massive for him to see over or around.

"Kyo, lend me your sword a moment. I must draw in the sand." Kyoshiro quickly complied, handing Zukto his weapon still sheathed.

"It's heavy." He warned. Zukto shrugged it off and drew the weapon from the sheath. True to his friend's warning, the weapon was rather difficult to wield; luckily, he was not going to fight with it. Pointing the blade at the ground, Zukto began to draw the symbol of the Spirit Temple in the sand. He passed back the sword when he completed his task and stood on his newly drawn diagram.

"Now, I suppose I should tell you what I am about to do. I learned an old technique that will allow me to take control of the Iron Knuckle's body."

"Whoah, seriously? That is pretty badass." Kyoshiro looked surprised.

Zukto started to whistle an unfamiliar tune. While all of this was happening, the Iron Knuckle had been struggling to free its weapon. After the tune echoed throughout the arena, the Iron Knuckle suddenly stopped moving; so did Zukto.

Zukto eventually realized that his mind was no longer occupying his body. Instead, he was inside of the Iron Knuckle they had been fighting. He reached for the axe that had been stuck in the ground. With a bit of effort, he pried it out of the ground. He took the time to scan the arena. He could see where his partners were standing, but it was impossible to distinguish which of them was which due to his height. It was also hard to hear them.

They seemed to be on edge. Zukto tried to speak to them, but strange noises came out instead. Then he realized how dumb it was to assume that this Iron Knuckle could speak Hylian.

"… What the hell was that?!" Kyoshiro asked Link when he heard the Iron Knuckle trying to speak. Link just shrugged.

"What can we do? We cannot communicate with Zukto it seems, and the Princess…" Link trailed off, looking down at Zelda. She was still unconscious in his arms. Kyoshiro looked worried.

"Well, we cannot stand around and just wait for something to happen. Wrath?" Link asked to the nearly empty area. Wrath appeared with a sudden flourish.

"I shall keep her safe." Wrath assured them, carefully taking Zelda up in his arms. Link and Kyoshiro took their leave to face their foe, but neither of them knew what exactly to do.

"The only thing that can injure our foe is its own weapon. But none of us have the strength, or the capability, to manipulate the weapon…" Link muttered with frustration.

Kyoshiro stood for a moment, clearly mulling something over in his mind. Suddenly, he cupped his hands around his mouth.

" **ZUKTO! ATTACK YOURSELF!** " Kyoshiro yelled as loudly as he could, to get his friend's attention. Zukto heard Kyoshiro's suggestion, and turned his attention to the giant axe he was wielding. The thought of attacking himself was disconcerting, but he did not have any better ideas. Suddenly, Nari appeared on his shoulder.

"Zukto, do not worry! When the enemy falls, I shall help you!" Somehow, her words reassured Zukto. He began to swing the weapon at the body of the Iron Knuckle he was occupying. The first swing, when it made contact, felt like it was going to cleave Zukto's chest in two.

 _Aaugh! I didn't realize I would experience this much pain!_ He thought, almost instinctively grabbing at his chest. But he remembered that he was not in his own body, so he swung at himself again instead. This time, the pain nearly made him black out. He realized that he was slowly losing control and his vision. The large Iron Knuckle fell to the ground as Zukto fully lost consciousness.


	13. Secrets Buried in the Land of the Dead

The Iron Knuckle collapsed to the ground with a huge crash, displacing dust, debris, and pieces of its armor. Wrath commanded everyone to gather around him as he erected a barrier to protect them from harm. When everything settled, Link was the first to step outside of the protection of the barrier to observe the arena.

Zukto was lying on the ground, near where he had drawn the symbol of the Spirit Temple. Luckily his body appeared to be unharmed, thought he was not moving. In their attempt to get away from the giant Iron Knuckle when it fell, no one had time to grab Zukto's body. Nari was beside him, muttering something quietly.

"How is he?" Link asked.

"Hm, well, not bad. But I can't really say he is great."

"…It is hopeful that he is not bad, then. Here… let me grab him." Link stooped down and hoisted Zukto onto his back.

"Kyoshiro… take Zelda from Wrath why don't you?" Link suggested. Kyoshiro did as instructed, and Wrath disappeared again.

"Nabooru!" Nari called. Nabooru nimbly jumped down off the platform she had stationed herself on, and ran to catch up with everyone. She raised an eyebrow at the scene that greeted her; Link was carrying an apparently unconscious Zukto, and Kyoshiro an unconscious Zelda.

"What happened here?" She asked casually. She was concerned, but her voice did not reveal it.

"Well, I have a feeling that Zukto's condition is related to when he knocked himself out. I mean, he knocked out the boss monster we fought… but he was occupying the Iron Knuckle's mind when he did it." Link explained.

"And what about the Princess?"

"Well…" Link started to explain, feeling embarrassed because her condition was his fault.

"We have to find the next weapon." Kyoshiro spoke up.

"Too bad these two are out… but it can't be helped. Maybe they will come to before long." Link muttered.

"I see a staircase that might have appeared after you vanquished your foe. Shall we find out where it takes us?" Nabooru observed, leading the way. Everyone solemnly proceeded down the stairs. As they neared the end of the stairway, Zelda began to stir.

"Aaahh, oh, my head…" She moaned, placing a hand on her forehead. Her eyes were still closed.

"Ah, Princess, you're up. You okay?" Nabooru asked.

"What…happened…?"

"That's what I would like to know." Nabooru said, looking over at Kyoshiro and Link.

"Well, I feel like Zukto's condition was unavoidable…" Link began.

"Zukto…? Wait… something happened to him, too?"

"Yeah. He will be fine. He just had to take a risk during the fight to help us out. But in your case…"

"My case?"

"Princess, I owe you an apology. I believe your condition is because of me." Link could not hide the look of shame on his face.

"Do not… worry about it. I am fine…" She sighed, still feeling exhausted.

"Well, like I said, do not stress about Zukto. Nari says he is fine." Link offered, trying to improve her mood.

"Good…" She was silent for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered what they had to do.

"Ah! So our foe… we won I presume? Where is the weapon?"

"We are looking for it. Perhaps we are close." Link answered.

"Kyoshiro, can you please… put me down? I can walk." Zelda asked. Kyoshiro set her down as requested. Nabooru let Link and Kyoshiro pass her so she could walk with Zelda. She wanted to make sure Zelda made it down the stairs in one piece. A door waited for the heroes at the bottom of the stairs.

"This has to be it." Kyoshiro said, stepping through the door first. He peered around to see if anything was waiting in ambush. He motioned to his friends to let them know that the coast was clear. Another decorated altar waited for the heroes, with something arranged on top of it.

Zelda approached the altar quietly, staring intently at the artifact. It appeared to be a mask. She carefully lifted the mask off the altar and studied it. Out of the mask's left eye, a red tear drop was painted.

 _Ah! The symbol of the Sheikah! I wonder what it does…_ She thought, running a slender finger around the mask. Kyoshiro approached her, and looked over her shoulder.

"So try it, why don't you?" He suggested. Zelda was truthfully curious, so she put the mask on. Her vision immediately blacked out, but something appeared before her that was unconnected to the Temple they were standing in. She could see Kakariko Village, and Impa, and the symbol of the Shadow Temple. Images flashed at her, disjointed and seemingly random; they ended almost as soon as they began. Zelda's sight returned to her. She noticed that her breathing had sped up, and her face was beaded with sweat.

"Ah, that was…" Zelda muttered, removing the mask.

"What happened?" Kyoshiro asked. He looked unsettled, likely due to watching her.

"I… I think I saw… I may have seen visions of the future."

"Really?! How could you tell?"

"Well, I saw… I saw Kakariko Village… and… I did not…" She seemed incapable of finishing her thought out loud. She looked troubled.

Suddenly, Link felt Zukto stirring.

"Ah, he's up."

"What? Up? I don't understand…" Zukto muttered.

"I think you lost consciousness because of our fight."

"Damn, really? Did anything else happen while I was out that I should know about?" He instantly seemed more alert.

"Well… Zelda was unconscious too." Link hesitated to say it. He knew Zukto was going to freak out, but hiding the truth would just make the situation worse.

"What?! What happened?!"

"Zukto, calm down. I am right here." Zelda answered.

"… So we won then?"

"Naturally." Kyoshiro cut in.

"Ah, Nari… thanks for the help." Zukto said suddenly, remembering that she told him she was going to help him during the fight.

"Do you feel better now?" Link asked.

"Yes. Set me down, please. And thanks." Link crouched down so Zukto could get on the ground easily. He had a feeling that Zukto's temper was, for some reason, on a short fuse. Zukto immediately approached Zelda.

"What happened?"

"It… was just an accident. Stop worrying about it." Zelda replied. She did not look at him as she spoke. He did not seem satisfied with the answer, but he moved on to a different topic because she seemed unwilling to discuss the subject further.

"So, what is that?" He asked motioning at the mask Zelda was carrying.

"This is the artifact we were searching for. I can see small glimpses of the future when I wear it."

"Hm, that sounds like it will be useful." His face lit up a bit.

"It might be useful, if I can interpret the visions."

"I have faith in you." Zukto said, staring at Zelda intently. She returned his gaze, but something was nagging at the back of her mind. She ignored the feeling, unsure of how to interpret it.

"Well, I… suppose we should report to the Goddesses now." Zukto said suddenly, breaking his attention away from the Princess to address the group at large. Kyoshiro nodded.

"You know what this means, don't you? We must part ways once again." Nabooru declared. Zukto nodded.

"It was a pleasure to work with you once again, Master Nabooru." Zukto bowed deeply.

"…Make me proud." Nabooru said suddenly, grinning. With that, and a friendly wave, she ran off.

Zukto, Zelda, Kyoshiro, Link, Wrath, and Nari all looked at one another.

"Come; let us go to the Temple of Time." Zelda suggested. Link looked curious, but followed wordlessly. The trip out of the Spirit Temple, away from the Desert Colossus, through the Gerudo Desert, and to the Gerudo Fortress occurred without incident and without much conversation. Back at the Gerudo Fortress, the day had given way to early evening.

"Ugh, again? I do not want to waste more time here this evening…" Zukto sighed, frustrated. Zelda looked around at everyone else, apparently assessing something.

"Maybe, well… is anyone against leaving now? If we go by horse, we can reach Hyrule Castle Town within several hours. The night is still young…" She offered. Kyoshiro shrugged.

"I am fine, but what about Link? We all brought horses here, but…"

"Kyoshiro, I thank you for your consideration. Do not concern yourselves though, because I also have a horse. Give me a moment." He carefully pulled out a small, egg-shaped instrument. He put one end of the instrument to his lips, and sound suddenly flowed from it. The sounds changed depending on the position of his fingers. When he finished the tune and withdrew the instrument from his lips, an excited whinny called out. Within a few moments, a chestnut-colored horse galloped up to the group. The horse stopped before Link.

"Everyone, this is Epona. She is one of my best friends." He explained, lovingly stroking her forelock.

"That was a lovely tune. What is it called?" Zelda asked.

"Epona's Song. Her first owner's mother created the song, and then when I befriended the family I learned the song myself. I first met Epona when she was a filly. I was unable to visit for many years, but when I returned all I had to do was play her song and she remembered me."

"That is… amazing." Zelda muttered, caught up in her thoughts. The story was touching. Link mounted Epona, and looked around at his new friends.

"Shall we take off? Where are your horses?" He asked. Zukto led the team to where the horses were cared for. Everyone mounted their horses, while Wrath remained in Zelda's shadow and Nari sat on the rump of Zukto's horse, facing away from him. At first he was worried about her, but he remembered her age and capabilities. It occurred to him that he would be better off worrying about himself.

"Let us go!" Zukto cried, squeezing his horse's sides. All of the horses kicked up a large cloud of dust as they sped off to the East, back towards the Castle.

Alarmingly, the heroes encountered monsters freely roaming Hyrule Field. Several times, the group was distracted because the members felt obligated to dispatch as many monsters as possible. They could not help but imagine what would happen if these monsters were to wander into towns.

"Okay, now I feel tired… I am sorry… for suggesting that we press forward." Zelda muttered, sighing as they finished off a Dinolfos. Truthfully, she never fully recovered from the fight against the Iron Knuckle. They had been going non-stop for quite some time, and of course when she did try to rest it was never truly restful.

 _I am nearly at my limit... if I can just hold on until we get to Hyrule Castle Town…_

"Do not worry about it, Princess: you only asked on my behalf. None of us could have known…" Zukto trailed off.

"None of us could…" Zelda continued, pulling out the Mask. She stared at it briefly, before donning it. Immediately she saw a book, a large orb, and many shadows crossing one another. Something appeared out of the overlapping shadows. She could not determine what was coming from the shadows, however, because the vision ended. She gasped as she regained her senses. Like last time, she felt a little tired and disoriented. Even using the powers of the Mask for mere moments was incredibly taxing.

"Princess? Are you okay? What did you see?" Zukto asked, concern written on his face.

"I saw… an orb and a book… it was very dark… and there were shadows. So many shadows… Something was emerging from the shadows, but my vision ended before I could make sense of what it was." She was thinking carefully to try and remember all of the different elements of the vision.

"An orb and a book? That sounds strange… but we can't really figure anything out standing around out here. We finished with the beasts, so we don't we visit the Sage of Shadow for advice?" Zukto suggested.

"But what about meeting with Goddess Din? They are expecting us." Zelda pointed out.

"Of course, but I think Goddess Din will understand if we address this issue first. After all… it affects all of us."

"You may be right. But I will never object to meeting with my Master. Come; I shall lead the way." This time, Zelda encouraged her horse to turn away from Castle Town and towards a small bridge that stood over a river. Though it was late in the evening, the moon illuminated their path. Conveniently, Kakariko Village was Castle Town's closest neighboring town.

The group entered the village quietly as per Zelda's instructions. She led them to a pasture, unlocked the gate, and motioned for everyone to lead their horses into it. After the horses were secured, she led the group down a small pathway and up a small flight of stone stairs. She quickly approached the door of the house sitting at the top of the hill and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened and a stern-looking woman appeared. As soon as she saw Zelda, her expression changed.

"Ah, Zelda. What brings you here, my student?"

"Master Impa, may we talk? I have been busy for a while now, and wish to inform you of the situation."

"Of course, my child. Come, and introduce the others." Impa held the door open to allow everyone to file through. She shut the door when everyone was inside, and turned to face the group. The room was silent for a moment as everyone watched Impa.

"Princess, I cannot help but notice your colorful group of friends." She mused.

"Master Impa, I apologize for not checking in with you as I normally do. I was busy trying to gather information on _him_ , as you know. While I was doing so, this man…" Zelda paused, and looked at Zukto. He had been sitting, but he quickly rose when Zelda glanced at him.

"This is Zukto. He was met with visions from the Gods, and was told to gather allies. He found Kyoshiro first," here, she motioned at Kyoshiro with an arm, "and then afterwards, they found me. We discovered a secret meeting place for the Goddesses. There, we were directed to gather ancient weapons once used by the Gods. This journey took us first to a faraway land. We were met with many challenges in that strange land, but we triumphed.

After our return, we were directed to the Gerudo Desert. There, we met Zukto's teacher who happens to be the Sage of Spirit, Nabooru. We were led to the Spirit Temple, where our second trial awaited. Naturally, we succeeded. During the second trial, we found new allies. First, Wrath and Nari joined our team. They are the servants of the Shadow and Spirit Sages, respectively. Finally, the other swordsman Link joined us. He is the one the Gods chose to possess the Triforce of Courage. He also received a message from the Gods and was told to find me. So we are all serving the Gods, pursuing a mysterious foe and trying to prevent disaster from befalling this great Kingdom—my Kingdom." Zelda said the last part with great measure, almost with hesitation. Impa was silent the entire time, carefully studying Zelda as she spoke.

"My, you certainly have been busy; that explains why I have not seen you lately. I could not help but notice though... you have changed, quite a bit more than I expected in such a short amount of time." She said in a very dignified manner. Zelda remained silent, averting her eyes.

"You, all of you, must rest. I understand that you have been performing a great service for the Gods. It is late, and you have traveled far. I have room for all of you; worry not." Zelda helped Impa to direct the weary adventurers to guest rooms. After they finished, Zelda and Impa remained together alone.

"I meant what I said earlier, about how much you have changed. You are traveling around without hiding your face, for one." Impa observed quietly.

"… Do not get too excited, Master. If given the choice, I still would not have told them who I was by now…" The Princess muttered.

"Still would not have? So you lied to them?"

"Initially, yes. What would you have done? They would not have believed me if I had immediately told them that I was the Princess."

"What inspired you to tell the truth?"

"Nothing inspired me; my Father forced me to reveal myself." Zelda looked angry.

"The King did that for your sake, you know."

"I did not want them to know who I was, and I wish that they still did not know. When I was forced to show my face, of course they asked about the mark on my face: they wanted to know how I got it. And then Zukto witnessed me having that damned nightmare, so of course I had to tell him what it was about… I am so tired of everyone trying to butt into my life. It hurts me to think about it, why in the hell would I want to talk about it…? I just want to be alone…"

"Princess Zelda, with all due respect, isolating yourself is not healthy. You have somehow convinced yourself that being alone is the only way you can confront the most painful parts of your past. On the contrary, I think that you will be much more successful at finding answers when you are together with your new friends."

"They are not my friends…" Zelda muttered, looking away.

"… You do not have to do everything at once. You are making progress, which is important. You can work at your own pace. Just remember that I support you… no matter what."

"… Yes. If I may, I would like to rest now." With a respectful bow, Zelda excused herself. Impa watched her attentively before retiring herself. She had a feeling that further discussion would be necessary.

Zukto slept lightly because his brain was too active. There were too many questions that needed answers, and he suddenly remembered what the Ancient Sage told him. She told him to find the Impa of his era. Now, he was staying with the very Impa he needed to find. He got up finally, after hours of contemplation. He wandered aimlessly around Impa's home in the dark; he could not locate her.

While wondering what to do next, he realized that perhaps Impa would be praying or working in the Temple. He quietly left the house, and made his way around town. He had no idea where anything was, but the village was quite small. Zukto noticed a strange feeling as he passed near an old-looking well. Something was hanging heavily on his heart, but he did not understand what. Was it the somber darkness and stillness of the town? Was it his misgivings about his situation? He felt compelled to peer into the well; he could neither see the bottom of it, nor his own reflection, because of the darkness. Instead, he looked up to the sky. There seemed to be a faint glow on the horizon.

 _So the sun will be up in a while… ah, I still need to find Impa._ Still determined, Zukto set himself back on track. He noticed a small, somewhat hidden pathway he had not already explored; he began to follow it. It was rather unremarkable. At the end of the pathway, Zukto noticed a figure slowly pacing around among tombstones. He realized that he had found the graveyard, and the figure was likely the grave keeper. Zukto approached the man.

"Excuse me sir, I am visiting with a few friends here. Who is buried here?"

"Well… we've many commoners from the Village. But also… special graves are marked."

"Special graves?"

"Aye, servants of the Royal Family mostly."

"Oh, I see. May I look around for a bit?"

"'Course. I'll be around."

Zukto wordlessly wandered around the Graveyard, eyeing the stone markers. Many of the names or messages were meaningless to him, except a few graves marked for Impa's family. Zukto honestly felt very out of place. He stood in the center of the Graveyard, and looked around. Suddenly, he noticed someone else kneeling before a grave. The person was a ways off, so Zukto thought the other individual did not yet know of his presence. He stayed quiet so as not to scare the other visitor. As the area grew lighter with the slowly rising sun, Zukto realized that the person he was watching was Princess Zelda. He immediately thought to join her, to ask her what she was doing, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and was surprised to be face-to-face with Impa.

"Ah, Sage Impa…"

"Shh, come child." Impa directed Zukto away from the Graveyard and Zelda. He really wanted to stay with her, but he was glad that Impa found him. When they were a ways from the Graveyard, Impa turned to face Zukto.

"I am sorry for the interruption Zukto, but Zelda… is doing something very personal right now. You must give her space."

"Very personal?"

"Do you know what she endured as a child?"

"Her parents here… oh! So…" Zukto's face lit up with recognition momentarily but quickly became somber.

"Ah, so you do know. Well, this is slightly better than I anticipated. What exactly do you know about the Princess?"

"The Princess… I know that she was born of the Royal Family. Despite this, she grew up here in Kakariko Village as a member of a different family. She was never told her true identity. Suddenly, one day, she found her parents… murdered…" Zukto stopped here momentarily, feeling a heavy weight on his heart. Impa understood his misgivings, but she looked expectant. He did not keep her waiting too long.

"She became your student when she was very young. Since she had lost who she believed were her biological parents, you became a new parent-figure for her. She worked very hard, and still does today, because she was grateful for a chance to give her life meaning. I know she thinks very fondly of you, both as her teacher and as a close friend. Despite your relationship though, Zelda is still tormented by what happened when she was younger. She… found the man who murdered her parents. She fought him, and because of it she is…" This time, Impa was the one who looked upset.

"… Zukto, I must ask your forgiveness. I… told Zelda where Ganondorf was. I was fully aware of what she intended to do when she found him; despite this I let her go anyway… I even knew that she stood no chance against the Great King of Evil with the level of experience she had. All that has occurred since that fateful day is my fault."

"Despite… despite my fears about her current condition… I cannot blame you, Sage Impa. She is, and was at the time, an adult. She did as she wanted. We both know that her desire to pursue her parents' killer would drive her crazy. It would eventually consume her. Granted, her desire for revenge is still strong, but I am hopeful that we can encourage her to let go of all of the pain that is driving her to act so rashly. Actually, since we are talking about her… I wanted to ask for your help."

"…Zukto… I almost cannot believe how much you already know about her. This is quite remarkable, frankly… everything you say is true. Now that I am more at ease, what is it that you would ask of me?"

"I want to help the Princess fight against her other self. I was told to come find you, because you might have the power to ease the situation." Impa listened to him intently.

"Hm… take my arm." Impa held out an arm to Zukto. He quickly grabbed it as instructed, and the two of them were enveloped in a darkness that carried them away. They arrived in a dark room.

"This is the Shadow Temple. Well, part of it at any rate. This is where Zelda trained under me when she was young." Impa explained.

"Why have you brought me here?"

"I want you to look around for a bit while I look for something. Try to understand her life." Impa left in a hurry.

Zukto looked around quietly. The room he was left in appeared to be a library of sorts. Desks were stationed around the room, with parchment and inkwells. Several books were strewn around. Some were propped open, and others were bookmarked. It was a modest collection in comparison to the Royal Family's library, Zukto assumed. Despite its sparseness, Zukto could just imagine Zelda sitting at a desk and taking careful notes on whatever interesting book she had her hands on. Something was pulling Zukto forward, so he wandered down a connecting hallway.

He found a small, modestly-equipped bedroom. There were no windows. To have light for reading, candles were on a shelf. Only one of them was lit, barely bathing the room in a dim light. Zukto figured that more of them would be lit if the room was actively in use. A small desk sat in the corner, and a book had been left in the middle of it. Zukto approached the desk so he could inspect the book. The book was titled, _The History of the Kingdom of Hyrule_. Zukto could not help but smile to himself; of course she spent her time reading books like that, even in her youth. He also wondered if she had ever looked at picture books or children's stories. Her personality certainly did not make it seem likely.

Absentmindedly, his eyes wandered around more; he noticed something colorful sitting on the bed. He approached it, and picked it up. It was a pretty, albeit dirty, doll. He stared at it, surprised.

 _Huh, so she had dolls when she was younger? I guess that it pretty normal, though her personality now makes it seem strange…_ He studied the doll intently. He took notice of her slightly tangled hair, her dusty face and faded dress…

 _Wait a second... now this is strange... all I said to Master Impa earlier was that I wanted to help Zelda 'fight off her other self.' When I said that, she did not act surprised or ask for any kind of an explanation. Why is that...? Zelda herself did not even fully realize what was going on until Master Nabooru pointed it out back in the Temple, and Impa was not with us. Furthermore, Zelda has not really had time to explain anything to Impa... has Impa known this entire time?!_

"Zukto?!" Someone seemed surprised to see him. He was surprised too, having his thoughts interrupted after coming to such an intriguing realization; he did not expect anyone else to be here. He looked up, and was even more surprised to be facing Zelda herself.

"Ah, P-Princess, I was just…" Zukto stammered, feeling slightly embarrassed that she caught him looking around.

Zelda looked a little embarrassed too, but she walked over to the desk and stared at a wall away from him.

"I… I stayed here whenever I left the Castle." She explained.

"You really liked it here, didn't you?"

"Yes. This was my second home."

"Where is your first home?"

"…Come." Zelda quickly left the small room, still avoiding Zukto's gaze. Zukto gently laid the doll down on the bed, and followed his friend. While Zukto was following Zelda, he passed by Impa. She seemed to understand that Zelda was going to show Zukto something, so she looked at Zukto as if to say, "Come back later."

The pair left the Temple. Zukto was surprised to see the sun clearly now, but it was not yet high in the sky. He looked at Zelda and studied her carefully. She looked really exhausted. He wanted to say something, but he could not think of anything helpful to say. He mentally kicked himself for remaining silent.

Eventually, Zelda brought him through Kakariko. It was easier to see everything now, and some villagers appeared to be working already. The two of them stopped before a lone, dead tree. Near the tree, Zukto noticed the charred remains of a building.

"…I… lost my first home. I guess… there was a fire, and since nobody lived here anymore…" Zelda said to no one in particular, looking miserable. Combined with her obvious exhaustion, she looked terrible. Zukto felt horrible because of her mood, but he also felt like he was doing a poor job of helping her.

"Princess…"

"Do not call me that. Not here…" She muttered, averting her gaze.

 _I miss my foster parents... to them, I was never 'the Princess.' I was never some distant figure to be revered or pampered... I was their only child; a precious person; a vital part of their family... that is the only way I want people to think about me._

"…Zelda, you cannot run away from yourself all the time. You cannot change the reality of your connection to the Royal Family."

"But why not?! They chose not to be associated with _me_ when I was born! They threw me away! They even left me alone after my parents' death…" Her expression was a combination of pain and anger. Zukto craned his neck a bit to try and see her face, and was sure that he saw tears welling in her eyes. He could not stop himself after seeing her like that. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Princess Zelda, I know I am ignorant of many things. But I have this feeling… something is telling me that we do not know the entire story. There is more going on that we have no knowledge of. That includes the situation of your upbringing. Please, do not despair. If you keep your heart and mind open, I know you will be able to find the answers to the questions that have been weighing on you. And I promise that I will always be here to help and support you." Zelda was surprised at Zukto's gesture, but she did not protest. She even wrapped her arms around Zukto in return, which he was not expecting at all. She hid her face from him as best as she could, not wanting him to see her upset.

"Th-thank you… Zukto… I am sorry… If I am being completely honest, I hate being alone… before, I thought that it would be better if I kept my distance from others... I always felt like other people were not to be trusted. After all, my foster parents were hiding things from me, my birth father is keeping secrets from me, and people were always talking about me behind my back. It always seemed like everyone was jerking me around; it did not matter to them how much I was hurting. But earlier... I talked with Master Impa, and she helped me realize something. W-we are friends, right? That must be why I feel calmer now. If I just keep brooding about everything in my mind, I never feel better. My worrying and my anger normally get worse when I keep it to myself." Zukto heard her voice tremble at first, but steadily throughout the conversation she seemed more confident about something.

"You will never be alone again. Okay? I am always going to be here. Do not worry about the future because we will face it together. And of course we are friends. It is my sworn duty to protect you, but that does not just stop at defending you from monsters. If you are ever worried about something, tell me about it. If something is upsetting you, let me know. I will stop whatever I am doing and would be happy to help you however I can."

Zelda withdrew herself from Zukto's embrace wordlessly. She still was not looking at him.

"I…Zukto…" She started, quietly.

"Yes?"

"I… was wondering… n-never mind. Sorry." Zelda abruptly apologized and ran off.

Zukto's hopes fell. He was wondering if she was going to ask something personal, but clearly she was holding herself back. Zukto sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed like they might have had a moment there, but he could not quite tell due to her running off.

 _I want to ask him what he thinks about me... I cannot help but feel that there might be something between us, but... but would he really have feelings for someone like me? Zukto is just an honest and sincere person, someone who could make friends with anyone... so maybe I am getting the wrong idea. What is it like to be close to another person anyway? These feelings are so foreign to me: my heart is racing, my face is flushed, and it feels like my stomach is performing acrobatics... why is it only when he and I are alone that I feel this way? It makes me feel uncomfortable, but at the same time... I kind of want to experience it again._ Zelda thought as she ran back towards Impa's house.

 _I have to figure out how to help her… I feel useless… oh! Right! I need to find Impa again._

Zukto ran back towards the Graveyard, because he figured out that the Shadow Temple was somewhere nearby. When he arrived, the strange, old man was nowhere in sight. Thankfully for Zukto, Impa was there. He approached her quietly.

"Zukto, stand beside me." She requested without even turning to see who was behind her. Zukto could not help feeling impressed that she knew who was behind her without hearing someone's voice or turning to face them. He approached her as instructed, and looked at whatever was keeping her attention. It was an ordinary-looking grave marker at first glance, but a phrase was etched into the tomb that immediately sparked his interest. It read, "This family shall be forever honored for their service to the Royal Family of Hyrule." The date of their passing seemed to be about ten years ago…

"Is this…?" Zukto began.

"Yes. This grave marks the resting place of Zelda's foster parents."

"Do you know why she lived here for more than half of her life?"

"I do, but it is not my position to say. Only one person may speak of the decision to have Zelda live here, and that is none other than His Highness, the King of Hyrule himself." Impa responded, matter-of-factly.

"But she is so miserable! You know it, too. She thinks she was abandoned! Just tell me, or her even! Everything will be better if you do."

"Zukto… I cannot. Someday you will understand everything, including why I cannot reveal that information at this time. I do not blame you for your concern, but this situation is not that simple. Her foster parents understood it: that is why they never said anything, either."

"All of you knew?! And you just watch her suffer?!" Zukto felt really confused and angry.

"Zukto, please calm yourself. Shall we discuss our original project?" She deftly closed the previous topic of discussion.

"… Yes, I apologize. So did you find whatever it was you were looking for? Also, if I may... earlier I said that I wanted to help Zelda 'fight her other self,' and you did not miss a beat nor ask any questions about it. So... you already know what happened to her." Zukto did not pose his final remark as a question, since it seemed undeniably true.

She did not reply, but she held out a fist. When she opened it, something fell out about a foot before stopping. A chain was wrapped around one of her fingers, keeping it suspended in air. The item was a small, golden crescent-moon-shaped pendant.

"What is it?"

"I got this many years ago. I will give it to you, so that you can help Zelda. Before you give this to her, however…"

"Before I give it to her?"

"Keep it with you: it needs to absorb your power. I hope that, if your feelings are true, the pendant will respond to those feelings and create a kind of barrier that she could then use to defend herself."

"A barrier?"

"Right now, the most danger she faces is from that other personality of hers. Correct?"

"Right."

"The other personality feeds on negative emotions. When she is angry, scared, or upset, it may try to assume control for her. If you can concentrate enough of your thoughts and feelings for her into this pendant, and you get her to wear it, her other self will have to deal with an additional obstacle before it can wrest control of her mind away from her. Since you seem to care so deeply for the Princess, your thoughts can act as a barrier and will protect her from the darkness that seeks to overcome her."

"I can do that?"

"Am I correct in assuming that you care for the Princess?" Impa looked quite serious. Zukto felt his stomach performing a somersault.

 _Do I care for her? Well, I feel like the answer to this question is fairly obvious. I just... feel so drawn to her. I can't explain it. But does something like this need an explanation, anyway?_

"Yes. It is as you say, Sage Impa. I deeply care for Zelda." Admitting it out loud made Zukto feel both nervous and confident at the same time.

"Have you told her?"

"How could I? S-she is the most important person in Hyrule. Not only am I some nobody, I am not even a Hylian..." Zukto sighed.

"…Do not give up, if your heart is true. I hope you realize that… getting involved with her will be trying. I ask that you reflect carefully on your thoughts so that you can act accordingly. This situation is very likely to have an impact on your journey, so exercise caution and reason." Impa looked serious. Even though she was being stern, Zukto realized that she was not trying to talk him out of it. Was she supporting him?

"Sage Impa… I promise that I will not let you down." Zukto extended his hand to accept the pendant. Impa smiled with relief, marveling at the strange young man standing before her; there was no mistaking the fact that the destiny of this young man was intimately connected to Zelda's destiny. Zukto was struck by her obvious devotion to the Princess; he barely had the opportunity to speak with her so far, but it was clear to him that almost everything she did was to support Zelda. She gently laid the necklace in his open hand. Zukto studied it carefully.

"Thank you. When should I give it to her?"

"You will know when the time is right. I leave it to you…" Impa turned away from Zukto. He thought her behavior a little odd: she always looked at who she was speaking to.

"Impa?" Zukto asked, partly curious and partly concerned.

"To answer your question from before... yes, I have been aware of Zelda's condition. How could I not be? The sweet girl who came to live with me after her parents were murdered... she returned to town one day, and I could tell immediately that our Princess was not who she used to be. Her hair, once the golden color of the Triforce, had been dyed a dark and lifeless color, and her eyes... her eyes changed even more than her hair did. I used to think that her eyes were full of life and love, and showed a youthful curiosity. I adored her blue eyes when she was a young girl. But after she returned to us with that scar on her face, I saw no love or curiosity within those piercing red eyes: her eyes only reflected pain, anger, suspicion, and a darkness within her soul that I never truly realized existed.

I suppose I am an incredible fool to have believed that she had already come to terms with everything that has happened, but those eyes of hers haunted me. My dearest Zelda... please forgive me." Without warning, Impa tossed a Deku Nut at the ground. It erupted with a blinding flash when it made contact with the ground, causing Zukto to flinch; instinctively, he protected his eyes with his arm. When the flash subsided and he could see again, he found himself alone next to the grave of Zelda's family from Kakariko. He stared at the grave.

 _By the Gods... I am still trying to process what Impa just told me. So Zelda's appearance now is connected to the fight she got into with Ganondorf, like Master Nabooru speculated. It makes sense, but it still seems so surreal. And what Master Impa said... about Zelda's eyes changing... I could tell how troubled she was by it. Impa really acts like the Princess' mother. She has devoted the last ten years of her life to Zelda, after all... anyone would be able to develop an incredible bond after such a history together. For some reason, after seeing Impa like that... I feel a bit melancholy too._ He paused his thoughts, taking a moment to truly absorb the sight of the graves he was standing before.

"I know you loved and cared for Zelda like one of your own, and she loved you greatly. I thank you for watching over her, and I hope that you continue to watch over her. But I want you to know that I will help you to watch over her." Zukto said to the grave. Feeling satisfied, he left the graveyard. He gripped the pendant firmly.

 _Hm… it would have been nice if I had this thing earlier… I am pretty sure that it would have absorbed a decent amount of power before I met Impa just now…_ Zukto's mind wandered back to earlier, when he held Zelda near her old house. Looking back, he realized how much he liked having her so close to him. It was just too bad that she was utterly miserable at the time.

Mulling over their journey, Zukto was surprised at how connected everything was. The scar on Zelda's face was put there by Ganondorf, who apparently had joined forces with Kkladekk. Zukto had never known where Kkladekk had run off to, but to his surprise he just recently encountered his older brother in the Gerudo Desert. It was no mere coincidence that Zukto mysteriously found himself in the middle of the Desert that day so many years ago: he was needed here in Hyrule. The only thing that was not immediately clear: how did Kkladekk know about Zelda, and why did he try to meet with her other self that night in the Desert?


	14. A Grueling Battle in the Graveyard

Finally, after everything that had happened, Zukto's exhaustion caught up with him. He returned to Impa's place and collapsed on a couch in the living room. Sleep overcame him instantly.

"Excuse me, do you mind helping me out? I have not traveled this far before." Zukto asked the lone, shadowy figure. It was really dark out: the moon was mostly covered with clouds, blocking out a lot of the light. He was surprised to find someone else traveling at such an hour, but he also felt fortunate because he had no idea where he was.

"Sure, what do you need?" The dark figure stopped, and turned to face him. Zukto quickly caught up to the figure, but stopped short because he was surprised to see that the figure looked as if it was a ghost. The figure had the shape of a person, but it was transparent and a bit fuzzy-looking. He tried to hide his confusion about the being before him.

"I need to go to Kakariko Village. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure I do; I am going there myself. Follow me." The ghostly person led him for a bit, remaining quiet. Zukto was too curious to keep quiet, though.

"Why are you out so late? Aren't your parents worried?" He asked. It hit him that it was a weird question to ask a ghost, but he could not stop himself from asking it. It was as if he had to ask that question.

"…I am running away from home, actually. Maybe they are worried, but I do not much care. I hate it there."

"If you don't mind my asking: why?"

"My parents act like they have to control every aspect of my life. They are always trying to tell me how to act and what to do and say. I get no time to myself to relax; it is suffocating. My home is not a home… it is a prison."

"That… sounds pretty terrible. My parents weren't like that. But is there a reason why your parents are so strict?"

"They tell me that all of the work I am doing now is for my own good. But why do _they_ get to decide what is good for me and what is not? I believe that I am a better judge of that."

"I am sorry about that… I am at a loss about it, really. Where do you live?"

"Castle Town."

"Why are you running from Castle Town to Kakariko? I thought Castle Town was the best city in Hyrule."

"... There is someone who lives in Kakariko Village. She is my rock when I just cannot handle my family anymore. We are not related by blood, but... she is more than just a mentor to me. She is the person whom I care about more than anyone else in the entire Kingdom."

"Wow, you seem to feel strongly about her. How did you find this person?"

"Actually, she found me. She is amazing."

"You seem to be an unusual person. I never knew anyone, especially not a girl your age, who would walk to an entirely different town in the dead of night to be with someone." Zukto observed.

"Hm… yeah. I guess I am pretty unusual, all things considered. But if you knew her, you would feel the same way that I do."

"Speaking of being out here in the dead of night, aren't you scared?"

"Scared? Of what?"

"Of, well, you know: monsters, bandits, stuff like that?"

"Oh, no. I can fight, you know."

"You can fight? A girl at your age?"

"Sure. I have been training for six years."

"Did your parents force you to train from such an early age?" Zukto asked incredulously.

"No, actually. The woman who I am going to see is the one who trained me, and I was the one who asked her to train me. I should say training, actually, because I still have a ways to go."

"Training for six years, and yet you think you still have a ways to go? What, are you trying to be a knight or something?" Zukto asked. The girl stopped, stared at him, and then burst out laughing.

"S-sorry! I cannot help it. I will tell my Master that you said that, and I bet she will laugh too. It is not that I think knights are bad or anything; it is just, the irony is killing me."

"I don't really understand what is so ironic about what I said, but anyway... wow, learning self defense at such a young age... I think it is really important for girls to be able to protect themselves. And you say you asked this woman to train you? I can respect that. You did not want to settle for relying on others to protect you. I seriously admire that." Zukto smiled, and the ghost person seemed to blush.

"… Do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?" Zukto looked confused.

"Fate is such an important idea to us; the Gods guide us in nearly everything we do... but I am tired of living a life that is not my own. I am trying to take control of my own destiny."

"Is there something about your future that you are trying to change?"

"Yes."

"Honestly, I never really put much stock in the idea that someone else was controlling my life or behavior. Who would have the time or energy to control not only me, but all of the people around me? But anyway, I have faith in you." Zukto smiled. The ghost smiled back.

"My Master is the only other person who says that to me! You know… I… I think I like you!" The ghost declared. Zukto was taken aback, but he was flattered. Oddly, he was struck by this individual. It did not really bother him that he could not see a single feature on the ghost, save its smile.

Suddenly, the world dissolved around him. Zukto opened his eyes, and found himself in Impa's house.

 _Oh… so it was a dream then… but it felt so real… like I was actually there…_ Zukto sighed.

Suddenly, Impa appeared in the room.

"Ah, Master Impa. I apologize for sleeping here. I was just so…" Before he could finish, she held a hand up to silence him.

"Worry not, my child. Your group, but especially you and the Princess, works very hard. And I realize that you two slept rather poorly the night before."

"You know, I completely forgot about that." He muttered.

"Forgot what?"

"Er, uh, nothing. It… is not my place to talk about it." He stammered, thinking about Zelda's nightmares. He wondered how many sleepless nights she spent by herself just to avoid the awful memories of one of the worst days in her life. It made him feel helpless.

"Well, that's fine. But I heard you talking in your sleep. Are you alright, Zukto?"

"I did? Well, I had a dream. But it seemed so realistic…"

"What if it was not actually a dream?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It could have been a memory." Impa offered. Zukto fell silent, carefully thinking about her idea.

"… Maybe. Thanks, Master Impa."

"I have faith in you." She smiled encouragingly. Zukto's eyes widened.

 _I… I said that exact same thing in my dream… How… strange…_ Before he could say anything, Impa had mysteriously disappeared. But this time, it was not surprising. He was growing accustomed to her way of appearing and disappearing soundlessly. He remained there wordlessly, trying to remember everything about the dream he had and the situation surrounding it. Closing his eyes, he focused on the ghostly figure. Again, he could not discern anything about the person except the shape.

"I wish I could remember you…" Zukto muttered.

"Remember who?" Zelda asked, startling Zukto.

"Princess! I did not realize you were there. Sorry."

"You are pretty easy to surprise. You know… you do not really seem that different from me. Always busy with your own thoughts." She observed, somewhat ironically. Zukto laughed.

"Great, there's no going back now if you think I am like you." He teased.

"Very funny. What were you trying to remember?" As always, she was straight to the point.

"I think something happened when I was younger. I met someone. But until recently, I did not even realize that I had forgotten about that person and the night we met." He explained.

"… I understand. Many holes exist in my own memories." Zelda said, looking away at nothing in particular. Zukto felt a little helpless suddenly.

"Do you ever try and remember what you have forgotten?"

"I used to try. But not anymore: it is pointless. No matter how much I try to penetrate the darkness, the darkness prevails."

"I have faith in you." Zukto stated, without thinking about what he said. She looked at him questioningly.

"… I appreciate your support, Zukto. You deserve the position the Goddesses bestowed upon you."

"I do not know if I actually deserve it. I have to admit… I was pretty suspicious of Link. Maybe I still kind of am. But thus far, he has helped us without question. And he said something that I cannot ignore. He mentioned that he has done nothing heroic yet, and he did not even seem set on earning himself such a title. Because of his… modesty, or honesty, or humility… maybe even a combination of the three… he deserves my respect. More so than I supposedly 'deserve' my position…"

"You know, you kind of just proved my point. It is always hard to admit that you were, or are, wrong." She smiled with approval.

"Sorry… I just shared something kind of personal and unbecoming."

"No need to apologize. You seem to know a lot of unbecoming things about me. I might as well get even." She smiled slightly.

"There… there is absolutely nothing unbecoming about you." Zukto blurted out. Zelda's eyes widened as she blushed.

"S-stop joking around…" She muttered, looking away.

"Princess, listen." Zukto said firmly as he stood up. She looked at him nervously.

"Y-yes?" There was hesitation in her voice.

"I have to tell you: for a while, I…" Zukto started.

 _Ah, this feeling again! My heart is pounding, and it feels so hard to breathe...! Wh-why do I feel this way...? What could he possibly want to say to me so seriously...?_

"Morn' guys!" Kyoshiro declared loudly. He scared both Zukto and Zelda, who had been absorbed in their private conversation with each other.

"Kyoshiro...! We are inside a home: try not to be so loud." Zelda lectured, using the situation to cover up her reaction to Zukto's earnestness.

"Whatever. We're all up." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Are you feeling rested?" Zukto asked. He was honestly really annoyed that Kyoshiro interrupted him at that critical moment, but he knew he had to deal with the cards handed to him.

"Yeah, I'm great. What are we doing today?" He asked.

"Wow, could you have made any more noise?" Link asked, a bit perturbed, as he appeared behind Kyoshiro.

"That was nothing. You slept long enough anyway!" Kyoshiro declared, smirking. Zelda sighed, clearly still exhausted. Zukto personally did not feel much better than she looked; after all, between all of the talking and wandering around they did, they barely had any time to properly rest.

"So leader, what next?" Link asked, clearly directing his question at Zukto.

"Well, Princess, did you talk to Master Impa about the visions you saw?"

"Ah, sorry, no. I got distracted. How about you go to see Goddess Din now, and come back when you are through. I can talk to Master Impa while you are gone." She suggested. Zukto nodded.

"That sounds like a fair idea. Link and Kyo, do you want to come with?" Zukto offered. They agreed to join, so the three of them left together.

 _Thank the Gods that they are gone... I am still reeling from earlier. It will be nice to have some time to myself, but first things first, however…_

Zelda just waited there for a bit after they left; Impa mysteriously appeared.

"Do you need me, Princess?"

"Yes, Master. You see…"

While Zelda discussed her visions with Impa, Zukto brought his fellow adventurers to the Temple of Time. They found the secret entrance inside that Zelda revealed to Zukto and Kyoshiro the first time they entered as a group. Link was just as amazed to see the secret chamber as Zukto had been.

"By the Goddesses, this is impressive. Thank you for bringing me here, Zukto." Link said, appreciatively.

"Well, you are one of us now right?" Zukto asked.

"Of course I am. I am bound to this mission just as you are."

"…I think I owe you an apology. I have been unfairly suspicious of you since the Princess brought you along." Zukto explained.

"Your honesty is appreciated, Zukto. If you are suspicious of me, I must be vigilant in my actions until I win your favor. I truly believe that I pose no threat to you or our friends. I will prove it to you." Link stared intently at Zukto, outstretching a hand. Zukto firmly shook Link's hand, understanding what the gesture meant.

"Thank you for your help. I know you have already stuck your neck out for us despite only just joining our group. Link… Thank you for being our ally." Link smiled at Zukto.

"You are a good man, Zukto. I am a pretty decent judge of character, by the way." Before Zukto could respond, Goddess Din appeared.

"Gentlemen? My, I do not see Princess Zelda. Where is she?" Goddess Din observed.

"My Goddess, Zelda stayed behind to speak to the Sage of Shadow, Impa."

"Well, I suppose that is fine if she has important business to attend to. Did you bring the next artifact?"

"Yes, here it is." Zukto presented the Mask to Din. He asked to borrow it from Zelda before they left.

"This is indeed the correct artifact. Congratulations, my Champion."

"If I may, Honorable Goddess: what must we do now?"

"Curiously, your team seems to have found your next mission already. Just as you wandered through ancient sands, you must now search through an ancient graveyard."

"Thank you, Goddess Din." Zukto bowed respectfully.

"Good luck, my heroes. Oh! Yes. Before you go… I am sensing a strong presence. You must be careful." She warned.

Back in the Temple of Time, the three men looked at one another.

"A strong presence?" Link repeated.

"You know, the Princess spoke of an orb, and many shadows. What if her vision is connected somehow to this presence that Goddess Din spoke of? After all, her vision is supposed to be of the future."

"Well, that seems plausible. But I feel like we have too little information. We should return to the Princess, and ask her about the conversation she had with Impa." Link suggested. The other two nodded. The group exited the ancient temple silently.

As they left Castle Town and made their way back to Kakariko, Zukto was surprised to see a ghost-like figure walking along. He shook his head and looked again; the ghost-like figure was no longer there. Was it real?

"Did either of you see that just now?" Zukto asked.

"See what?" Link asked.

"Something… out of place." Zukto muttered.

"… I see something out of place now." Kyoshiro observed, drawing his large sword. Link also drew his weapon, and quickly followed Kyoshiro's lead. A strange, reptilian beast with wings was flying around. When it noticed Kyoshiro and Link, it quickly went on the offensive. Link and Kyoshiro had no trouble dispatching the monster, however.

"Good work, you two." Zukto praised.

"Don't worry about it." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"What about your question earlier?" Link wondered.

"Ah, never mind about that." Zukto waved it away as unimportant, even though it was still troubling him.

The heroes returned to Impa's house as soon as they could. When they returned, things seemed quiet. Zukto welcomed Link and Kyoshiro to sit down and get comfortable. He wanted to look around to see if he could find Zelda. Methodically, he poked his head into the guest rooms. When he looked in the last room, he found Zelda sitting at a desk with her head down. He stepped lightly as he approached her. He could hear soft breathing, so he figured she was resting. When he stood next to her, he debated whether to wake her. Zukto remembered how the both of them had barely been able to sleep, so he decided to let her rest when she could. With that, he turned to leave. As he reached the door, he was surprised to hear Zelda speak.

"... powers and talents... wasted..." She muttered. Considering that she had not said anything the whole time he was in the room with her, he assumed that her words were from a dream. Zukto was very interested in what she was dreaming about, especially because it seemed as though she was not having one of her typical nightmares. Being sure not to let his curiosity disturb Zelda, he left the room.

When Zukto returned to the main room, he was surprised to see that Kyoshiro and Link were nowhere in sight. Confused about their unannounced disappearance, he went outside to look for them. Immediately after stepping outside, Zukto was sure that he heard the sound of steel opposing steel. He wandered to the center of town and found Kyoshiro and Link there: they were fighting.

"Just what are you guys doing?" Zukto called.

"Training, duh." Kyoshiro replied, raising an eyebrow. The duo returned to their practice session without waiting for Zukto to respond. Zukto shrugged and decided to leave them alone. He wandered away from the center of town, towards the entrance. A tree was oddly growing by itself right in the middle of the pathway into town; Zukto decided to sit on the ground and lean his back against the tree. He closed his eyes and focused on the slight breeze that wafted through town. The sun, high in the sky, cast its warm rays in Zukto's direction. He felt somewhat relaxed…

It was night all of a sudden. Zukto could not remember when it had turned dark. He was looking for something, but he could not remember what it was. Eventually, he found a girl. He thought it was strange that this girl was wandering around in the dark by herself. She turned around to face him before he could call out to her. Her mouth began to move, and he assumed that she was speaking to him, but he could not hear what she was saying. Strangely, he was also unable to hear himself. Since the conversation he could not hear was of no consequence to him, he studied her. She looked normal, except for the fact that her face was an opaque white. It was strange that her face was missing, but for some reason it was not a huge concern. They continued to talk together for a while as they wandered around. As far as Zukto could tell, they were not going to any specific place.

All too soon, Zukto's eyes opened. He realized, as he glanced around Kakariko, that he had been dreaming again. The sun was hanging lower in the sky by this time. Zukto strained to listen, and could not hear the clash of steel. So were Kyoshiro and Link done training?

"… Who are you? I must remember…" Zukto muttered. Suddenly, a shadow cast itself over Zukto. He looked up to discover the shadow's owner: he met Zelda's gaze.

"So here you are." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Earlier you were asleep. I did not want to bother you, so I spent some time out here."

"Thanks for letting me rest. How was your meeting?"

"Oh, you know… same as always… oh right, Goddess Din did say something curious."

"How so?" Zelda's expression changed.

"Sit, Princess." Zukto suggested. She looked like she was thinking carefully about something, but it did not take long for her to sit down beside Zukto. He was glad that she did.

"So go on. What did she say?"

"She said our next artifact is to be found in an ancient graveyard."

"Ah, an ancient graveyard… meaning here."

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"Hm, yes. She sensed a strong presence? But she did not explain what that meant."

"I see…"

"So Princess, what about you?"

"What do you mean, 'what about me?'"

"You talked with Impa, what about? Oh by the way, why don't you take this back?" Zukto handed the Mask back to Zelda. She grabbed it, and fidgeted with it a bit.

"Master Impa thinks that when I saw the vision of shadows, I got a glimpse of our foes. The orb I saw is somehow related to the shadows. After all, the shadows were seemingly born of the orb…"

"… Wait, Princess… correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Goddess Din say our foe referred to themselves as the Darkness Orb?!" Zukto felt like something was clicking in his mind.

"… Zukto, she never said that to us." Zelda looked at him questioningly.

"Wait, what do you mean she never said that to us? She did; Kyoshiro was there with us too!" Zukto responded earnestly.

"I… I never heard her say that. I… Oh, oh my Goddesses, what if I lost the memory of that moment?" Zelda wondered out loud, looking shocked.

"I… suppose yeah, it could have happened. Just… just how many moments of your life have you forgotten?"

"I… I have no idea. I mean, all of us relate to our pasts in much the same way. Most of the time, you are not actively reminiscing about everything that ever happened to you. You only return to memories of your past when something in your surroundings reminds you of something that once happened. So sometimes if I happen to be thinking about something from my past, I will discover that I cannot remember it. But…"

"But?"

"Hm, it is nothing. To return to our conversation from before, I must have seen the Darkness Orb; though, what about all of those shadows…?"

"Um… you know, Goddess Din also said something before about… members of the Darkness Orb…"

"What was it? Try to remember, Zukto. You know, since I cannot." Zelda urged.

"Oh, I think she said there are 13."

"13? 13 what?"

"Members? She didn't specify what that meant."

"… Well the only logical conclusion is that I saw this so-called Darkness Orb, and the 13 that are connected to it."

"I can't think of what else it would be."

"Hm…"

"So, Princess… is everything okay?"

"Everything is as always."

"Anything you want to talk about?" He pressed. Zelda sighed, thinking carefully.

"There is something that keeps trying to enter my mind. Maybe it is something I once knew. Something from my past…"

"I know what you mean. I think I have been having dreams lately, visions of my past. But I can't remember everything."

"At least you have a chance to remember what you have forgotten." Zelda looked listless.

"What do you mean by that? You cannot truly forget something, I think. Forgetting is something that is only temporary."

"I might be an exception."

"When you look back, what do you see?"

"I see… people, places, events… and darkness."

"Darkness?"

"When I find a portion of my memory that I seem to have lost, I can only see black… like my vision is being blocked."

"When did you… notice these blackened-out memories?"

"Only recently. And I think… they are occurring with greater frequency."

"Zelda…" Zukto muttered, feeling worried and frustrated.

"Do not worry about it. I do not believe that you can do anything to help me."

"Don't worry? Zelda, you are asking me to do the impossible. If you are really forgetting things about your life, do you realize how dangerous that could be? What if you… forget our goals? Or your abilities? Or… what if you forget about us?" Zukto felt panicked. Zelda did not respond, and she was not looking at Zukto.

"… Do you… know what is causing it?"

"I have nothing backed by hard evidence, in terms of knowing a culprit, but now that we are talking about it... I have this feeling that my memories are affected by…" She paused, as if to choose her words carefully. Zukto thought the pause seemed natural, so he continued to wait for her to finish her thoughts. She continued to draw out the silence though.

"… Princess, you were saying?"

"Hm? Saying what?"

 _Saying what?! That's what she has to say?! Oh please do not tell me…_ Zukto suddenly felt sick to his stomach as realization hit him. The very thing they had just been discussing happened: she forgot about their conversation.

"Zelda… p-please… don't forget about me… I beg of you…" Zukto clenched his fists, trying to push out the unpleasant thoughts creeping into his mind.

"Z-Zukto? What are you muttering about? You are making no sense."

"We were just talking, and you… you forgot about our conversation!" Zukto was exasperated. She looked back at him, her face wrought with confusion.

"I… I apologize… I did not mean to… Please believe me… All I see is darkness… we were talking? How long have I been here…" She looked distraught, searching for something that was beyond her reach. Zukto instantly felt bad for getting impatient with her. Without thinking, he grabbed one of her hands. She was not expecting the gesture, so she met Zukto's gaze.

"What are you…?"

"I am not going to just let this happen to you. I will figure out what is going on, and I will stop it."

"Y-yeah…" She did not seem terribly convinced, or focused.

 _Maybe it would be better to just forget everything anyway. Let all of my memories be wiped out, so that I no longer have to suffer with the knowledge of my murdered parents and the identity of their murderer... to reset everything to zero... it feels so comforting, in a way…_

"… Come on. We should head back. It is getting late, and everyone is probably wondering where we are." Zelda wordlessly followed Zukto back to Impa's. Like always, the silence was uncomfortable for Zukto. He could not help but wonder about their situation. If she was starting to forget conversations as they were taking place, how would they ever make any progress?

Back at Impa's house, Zukto and Zelda rejoined Kyoshiro and Link.

"Our next target is here in Kakariko Village, likely in the Shadow Temple. Unfortunately there is someone, or something, that already knows we are here. We will need to be on our guard, lest we fall into some kind of trap." Zukto explained to the group at large.

"You know, Zukto… what if the presence Goddess Din spoke of… is your brother?" Kyoshiro had a look on his face that seemed to say, 'Please tell me I am wrong.' Zukto's expression changed to that of realization and uncertainty.

"… Yes… Kkladekk… now that you mention it, I would not be surprised if Kkladekk is indeed the presence we need to watch out for. He seemed very intent on interfering with us. I am kind of surprised you remembered him."

"Come on, I am not useless. That night was… seriously rough… it will be hard to forget." Kyoshiro looked pensive, for once.

"You are absolutely right, Kyo. I apologize."

"I suppose I missed out on something before we all met." Link observed.

"Ah yes… we probably should catch you up on everything. After all, you're a part of the group now. To be honest, it did not start that long ago…" Zukto began retelling their adventure to Link. Kyoshiro would periodically chime in, not wanting to feel left out. Zelda tuned everything out.

 _He is here. We must meet with him._

 _No, I am not meeting with anyone: especially not him._

 _You are ignorant, you miserable girl. He is going to bring about a new future. He really wants you to join us, you know._

 _Join you?_

 _Yes. He says that we need you. You have incredible potential within yourself that you are not even aware of. We can teach you how to tap into it. And once he accomplishes his goals, he is sure to reward you._

 _I have… incredible potential?_

 _Yes. No one can help you reach your true potential except us. We will free you from the chains holding you back._

 _But what is holding me back?_

 _Your fate. You know it to be true. You are lucky that your imprisonment has not already begun. Before long, you will be a slave in chains to Hyrule's politics._

 _No! You are wrong! I am not going… to let them…_

 _You do not sound sure of yourself._

 _I…_ The whole time Zelda conversed with the voice in her head, she remained outwardly stoic and quiet. She felt defeated though, as if the voice was right. Suddenly, something else pushed its way into her thoughts.

 _I have faith in you…!_ The new voice, completely unlike the manipulative voice from earlier, surprised her.

 _Where did that come from…? And why does it… sound so familiar? Who… are you…_ The voice was comforting, somehow. Despite the voice making her feel more at ease, something within her suddenly gave way. Tears began to well in her eyes.

Having finished explaining everything to Link, Zukto glanced Zelda's way. He noticed her sitting perfectly still, but her hands were tightly pulled into fists. She was not looking at anything in particular, and tears were beginning to slide down her face.

"Princess! What happened?!" Zukto rushed to be near her. He crouched down on the floor, looking up at her with concern.

"I… I cannot remember him… He helped me… more than once… I can hear his voice, but I cannot see his face…" She muttered. Though her eyes were not focused on anything, her response indicated that she was not completely detached from what was going on around her. Finally, she brought her hands up to her face to wipe away her tears. The men looked at each other wordlessly, unsure of how to react to her uncharacteristic display of emotion.

"Do you… want to talk, Princess?" Zukto asked cautiously.

"N-no… I mean… sure…"

"So when we were talking earlier, I guess you were thinking about something else?"

"N-not quite. I was talking to someone in my mind."

"Oh, so the voice came back?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded.

"The voice… was trying to convince me to do something… I guess that is not so unusual, because most of the time it is trying to manipulate me. While I tried to get the voice to step down on my own power, a different voice came to me. It said, 'I have faith in you!' When this new voice sounded, the other voice's influence faded. Suddenly, I felt better… safer… because of that second voice. The second voice… saved me." Zelda explained, still not looking at anything or anyone. Zukto felt a mixture of so many emotions that he did not know what to focus on.

 _She just said it, the phrase I said in my dream… the phrase that Impa said… is this all a coincidence? Wait… does this mean that, the entire time, it was her…?_ Zukto felt like he was just about to figure out something vital, but he had no way to be sure that Zelda was actually connected to his dreams.

 _I guess… I just need to wait and see if I dream more… I need to be absolutely certain._

"Princess, I am glad that you told us what is going on. We cannot help you if we do not understand what you are going through."

"…Zukto, can you _really_ help me? I am losing myself; how can you possibly help me to regain the parts of myself that I have lost?!" Zelda practically yelled, forgetting that Kyoshiro and Link were still in the room. They both tensed up, unsure of what to do or say. She was no longer crying. Instead, she seemed bitter. Zukto fell silent and averted his eyes from her.

 _She is right. What the hell can I do? What can any of us do? This entire thing is so fucked up…_ Even though he partly believed those thoughts, he suppressed them.

"Zelda, please listen to me. I already said that I was going to help you. Stop assuming that you can just take care of everything by yourself. You clearly can't!" Zukto retaliated, without keeping his frustration in check.

 _Oh shit… this is not looking good._ Kyoshiro thought, fearing the worst.

"Maybe you need to stop assuming that you can just waltz into my life and 'save me' like I am some kind of damsel in distress! I am not some worthless, pathetic woman who needs know-it-all guys like you who are self-important and pretentious! You know, I spent my life trying to avoid people like you. And I thought that, with my being of age, I could finally be rid of people like you. But I was clearly wrong! Here you are, brazenly dangling your superiority over me like the rest of them! I hope you enjoy your own company, because I _sure as hell_ will not come looking for it!" Zelda sounded furious. Without looking at anyone in the room, she stormed out of Impa's house. The door slammed shut, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. Zukto felt numb.

"Oh god dammit… I am so stupid…" Zukto muttered, holding his head in his hands.

"What in Nayru's name happened here?" Impa asked as she suddenly appeared.

"S-Sage Impa, well… Princess Zelda and I got into a fight…" Zukto explained, looking miserable.

"That much is apparent. You cannot just leave her by herself. You need to go after her."

"But she will—" Zukto started.

" **Now**." Impa ordered, not letting Zukto finish his excuse. She looked angry, something no one was used to. The three did not hesitate to rush out of the door after Zelda.

 _Oh Gods… please keep her safe…_ Impa slumped into a chair and covered her eyes with her forearm.

"Why do we have to go after her right after that shouting match?" Kyoshiro asked.

"… Oh no. Oh _hell_ no." Zukto muttered, stopping for a brief moment.

"What?!" Link grabbed his sheathe, ready to draw his sword in an instance.

"My brother is here, I can feel it! We have to find her _now_." Zukto ran as fast as he could to the Graveyard, guided by instinct. The other two closely flanked him.

"M-mom… Dad… it hurts… everything hurts… please help me… why am I always so alone…" Zelda was on her hands and knees before her parents' grave, trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears. Her entire body shook.

"Princess, my dear Princess… why are you alone at night, sitting on the ground?" Someone asked. Zelda froze, recognizing the voice.

"G-get the hell away from me!" She yelled, quickly standing up and turning to look in the direction the voice came from. When she could see him, her assumptions proved true: she was face-to-face with Kkladekk.

"You do not wish to be alone, correct? I can help you fulfill that wish." He pressed, ignoring her hostility.

"I am not interested in what you have to say. Get out of here." She turned away from him, staring back at the grave.

"Why must you hate me so? We merely started off on the wrong foot. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Kkladekk. I am a part of Darkness Orb." Zelda's eyes narrowed, as if the name was familiar to her, but she could not remember where she had heard it from.

"I do not know who or what that is. Nor do I care."

"Oh, you don't know about Darkness Orb? That is so strange… you know, my brother knows. I wonder… why didn't he tell you?" Kkladekk asked coolly. Zelda was speechless.

 _Zukto knows…? And he never said anything…?_

"Maybe he only knew the name, and nothing else."

"Oh no, my brother knows so much more than that. You know, I asked him to join us a while ago."

"… What did he say?"

"Oh, he shot me down instantly. It was a huge disappointment, to be honest. But never mind him, my dear… you are so much more… valuable to us."

"… I am?"

"Of course! You know, I know that your relationship with your father is… well, shall we say strained? You don't like him, don't want to spend time with him… but the fact remains that he is your father and he is currently the King of Hyrule. He is still relatively young, too… so you can look forward to a long life of unhappiness with your family. After all, when your daddy is the King it is hard to defy him. Wouldn't it be better if… he was removed from the picture?"

"… You are threatening my father, the King. Are you _insane_?"

"What, suffering from a bought of compassion are we?" Kkladekk mocked.

"I may hate my father, but my relationship with him is none of your business. How do you even know about me anyway?"

"Oh, my dear, I know more about you than you know about you. But we can save that discussion for another time."

"Do you… do you know… why… I was raised in Kakariko Village?" Zelda suddenly asked.

"Ahhh, yes, that is the million rupee question. Come closer, and I can tell you what you want to know." Zelda was unable to resist Kkladekk's charm. Even though a voice in her mind was telling her to resist him, she stepped closer.

"Yes, yes… there we go… nice and easy…" He urged her on gently. When she stopped before him, he reached up and gently stroked the scar encircling her eye. Suddenly, an intense pain shot through her body. Zelda sank to her knees, holding her face with one of her hands.

"Zu-Zukto, help…" She gasped, falling to the earth.

"Zelda! Zelda, where are you?!" Zukto yelled as he entered the Graveyard. His voice ominously echoed throughout the cemetery. Kkladekk turned to face his brother, a smug look on his face.

 _Shit! He's already here… please, don't tell me…_ Zukto scanned the area, and saw Zelda laid out on the ground.

"What the _hell_ did you do to her, Kkladekk?!" Zukto ran right up to Kkladekk and stared him down. He was livid.

"Ah, brother… you are too late." He smirked.

"Say that again. I dare you!"

"You. Are. Too. Late." Kkladekk began laughing menacingly.

"If you hurt her at all, I swear brother—" Zukto began, grabbing the collar of Kkladekk's shirt. Kkladekk did not seem fazed. Suddenly, Zelda rose to her feet.

"Princess?" Zukto asked, loosening his grip on Kkladekk. Taking advantage of Zukto being distracted, Kkladekk slipped out of his grasp. She lifted her face and glared at him.

"I am no mere Princess, you fool. I am a _God_."

"…So you are Zelda's other self."

"Of course. She cannot manage without me. I am easily her better half."

"You are lying. Why would Zelda need someone like you who is selfish, manipulative, cruel, and inhuman?"

"Hm, hm, hm… do you know why I am as I am? I am this wonderful being because of her. She is selfish. She is manipulative. She is cruel. She is inhuman. I am her, and she is me. We are one in the same."

"N-no way…"

"Do you deny the truth? Allow me to point it out clearly for you. She is selfish because she has a job that only she can do but she refuses to do it at all costs. She is manipulative because her first instincts are to lie. She has lied to you countless times, has she not? Her cruelty comes from her fixation on revenge. She wants to take life away, and she wants to revel in it after she succeeds. She has a lust for blood… she wants to inflict pain. This… is your so-called 'Princess.'"

"You just ignored every good thing about Zelda. Maybe you are just confusing Zelda with yourself." Zukto sneered.

"Aha, but you did not deny that Princess Zelda is as I say she is. So you recognize her nature, and yet you try to defend her anyway? You humans are all alike. You hide behind the small fragments of broken arguments that support your ideas, and you utterly reject everything foreign to your way of thinking. You are in denial, boy. Get used to the fact that Zelda's violence and anger are her defining characteristics. Because they are so strong in her, I am strong. I feed off her dark thoughts."

"Enough! Return the Princess!"

"Why would I do such a thing, you ridiculous mortal?"

"I will not just sit here and watch you use Zelda for your twisted goals."

"Use her? Boy, you misunderstand us completely. I give her my strength. She is invincible thanks to me. Remember when she lay there in the desert, bleeding to death? She would have died, had it not been for me." Zukto found himself unable to retaliate, knowing that she spoke the truth on this point. She smiled deviously.

"I challenge you, mortal! Show me the strength one must have to be a 'messenger of the Gods.'"

"Zelda would never fight me."

"But you are not dealing with Zelda… are you?" With an ominous chuckle, the woman disappeared. Zukto quickly looked around, in a slight panic.

 _Shit… I have never been on the receiving end of Zelda's powers… and not only that, but they are greatly enhanced because of her other self. How do I defend myself…?_ He tried to remain calm and cautious.

"So, mortal… how does it feel to fight a God?" Her haunting voice echoed around the Graveyard.

"Show yourself, and I may have an answer!" Suddenly, Zukto remembered that he had the Fire Scythe with him; he drew it. He was not sure how to fight with it, but holding it made him feel more confident about the upcoming battle.

"… Where did you get that, mortal?!" Zelda's other half appeared, looking angry. Kkladekk also seemed surprised.

"The Gods granted me this weapon. Don't tell me you're afraid?"

"Silence, you worm!" She screamed, firing a beam of dark energy towards him. Without stopping to think, Zukto sliced at the beam with his Scythe. He was surprised that the Scythe sliced the energy in half, saving him from injury. This further angered his foe.

"I must kill you and take possession of that weapon, for Lord Kkladekk!"

"Just try to kill me!" Zukto challenged. She looked all-too-happy to oblige.

Suddenly, the woman in control of Zelda's body held her arms in the air before her. Zukto realized, too late, what she was about to do. Smugly, the woman grabbed Zukto's shadow. He was instantly met with a strange sensation. His arms felt like they were being forced away from his body. Slowly his weapon-wielding arm rose up, seemingly ready to strike. Just as Zukto had witnessed dozens of times already, Zelda was going to force him to run himself through. The anticipation of what she was about to do made Zukto feel sick, but there was nothing he could do to stop her.

Just as Zukto was bracing himself for the inevitable, the sensation of his outstretched arms faded away. A horrible scream echoed around the cemetery, and with a start Zukto realized that he had control of his body again. He quickly looked around to assess the situation: Link was standing a ways off, with the tip of his sword resting against the ground. He was panting. In the distance, the woman was doubled over.

"I-I cut the ties… that bound you together. Now, we can finish this…" Link explained. Zukto felt immense relief.

"Link, you saved my life. I owe you. But for now, please help me to save the Princess."

"I cannot imagine doing anything else right now."

"You damned mortals. No matter how many of you there are, I shall kill all of you!" The woman sounded crazed. She quickly released a shock wave of energy from her body. It spread out throughout the graveyard, causing Zukto and Link to flinch when it passed through them. After the shock wave passed, large, dark thorns magically grew from the ground.

"Watch out!" Zukto yelled, pushing Link out of harm's way. The two were now separated by the massive thorns.

"Zukto!" Link called out, trying to make out anything in the darkness. All he could see was the faint outline of the giant thorns spread out across the graveyard. He looked down at the ground, where his sword was.

"I am fine! Get yourself a path!" Zukto responded. He immediately began slicing through the barbs, using his Scythe. Link followed Zukto's example, cutting down what stood in his way.

"Brother! How could you start without me? I thought your manners were better than this!" Someone declared loudly.

"Kkladekk…! I will not watch you take my friend away!" Zukto yelled. Slicing through a final thorn, he found more space to move around. As if on cue, Kkladekk appeared before Zukto. He looked smug.

"Oh, you will not have to watch me 'take your friend away' as you say. I think I shall have your friend end your miserable life." He smiled maliciously.

"You actually missed out on that. She almost succeeded, but Link saved me." For once, Zukto felt smug in his brother's presence.

"Ugh, why must everyone interfere?" Kkladekk groaned, looking less amused than before.

"Face it, Kkladekk… if you really want me dead, you better fight me yourself."

"Ha! Such arrogance. Your wish is my command, my brother! I will fondly look back on this day years from now. I shall erase you from my shadow permanently!" He quickly aimed his hands at the ground, shooting flames from them. The flames quickly encircled Zukto, trapping him.

"Zukto, be careful!" Link called out, trying to figure out how to aid his friend.

"You should ignore him… you have to worry about me now." Zelda's other personality taunted. She was floating in the sky. Grinning, she fired a ball of dark magic towards Link. Without hesitating, Link swung his sword at the ball of magic. The magic was sent right back at Zelda, catching her off guard. She fell out of the sky when her own magic collided with her.

"Goddess Nayru! I beseech your help! Contain the Princess!" Link cried. Suddenly, a faint light surrounded Link. The light gathered around Zelda, and manifested itself as a solid enclosure. Recovering from being stunned by her own magic, Zelda's other half stood up and tried to break free of her imprisonment. The magical cage seemed to withstand her efforts to escape, frustrating her.

"Princess, I apologize… but this is for your own good." Link muttered as he ran towards Zukto. Though the ring of fire was still keeping them separated, he was hoping to overcome any barriers Kkladekk could come up with.

"You know, brother… you can still make it up to me. If you would just join me, everything can go back to how it was. We are our only family after all… surely you do not want to fight the only true friend you had growing up?" Kkladekk crossed over the fire to stand on the inside of the circle with Zukto.

"Brother, I can never side with you. You changed. Someone or something is deluding you. Why did you come here, anyway? This domain is too good for the likes of you."

"Zukto… I feel as if we can no longer be in agreement. That deeply saddens me. But I cannot just abandon my goals now. Not after I have spent so long pursuing them."

"You might not abandon your goals, but I will stop you from achieving them."

"I cannot be stopped!" Kkladekk summoned a strange beast; its body was on fire. The monster lunged at Zukto, trying to pin him down. Zukto deftly maneuvered out of harm's way, before slicing at his assailant. The beast howled in pain, and its flame went out. The monster collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Kkladekk looked disappointed.

"… That weapon… is quite dangerous. I am surprised that you can wield it so easily."

"I am Hyrule's Champion. Of course I can wield it."

"Hmph, the 'Goddesses' who gave you that title are a joke. The God on my side, however…"

"The God on your side? You don't have one."

Just then, Zelda managed to destroy the magical cage that had held her hostage. Her breathing was slightly labored, but she seemed unharmed besides.

"My God, please return to my side!" Kkladekk called, reaching out to her.

"She is not your God! She is Hyrule's Princess!" Zukto declared. Link stood in between Zelda and Zukto, unsure about what his next course of action should be.

"Your so-called Princess has been my partner since ancient times."

"… What?"

"It is her destiny to aid my efforts. That is why, twenty years ago…"

"Twenty years ago?! Brother, now you are truly talking nonsense. You were just a kid back then."

"You underestimate me, Zukto, which is a costly mistake. I knew. I knew about Hyrule, even back then. I discovered that it was my destiny to find and control this kingdom, the Kingdom of the Gods. Just as the Goddesses you claim act as your guide, I also have an ancient guide. And my guide tells me that I must do absolutely everything in my power to bring the Princess to our side. Let us finish this, together!" Kkladekk called to Zelda, reaching out towards her. She smiled as she began to float closer to him.

At first Zukto was not sure how to change the situation to his favor. On the spot, he decided to shoot at Zelda. Not sparing even a moment, he quickly withdrew an arrow from his quiver and fired it towards her.

She had been too focused on Kkladekk, so she did not notice the arrow coming at her until it was too late. It pierced her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. She screamed for a moment, holding her shoulder. In the next instant, she had pulled it out and tossed it aside. Instead of hurrying to Kkladekk's side, she slowly looked towards Zukto. Zukto kept his eyes fixed at her, hoping to make eye contact. In the moment that their eyes locked, Zukto yelled out to her.

"Princess Zelda! Please, wake up! Return to us! We… I need you!"

His words seemed to be the key to a lock that had kept Zelda's consciousness buried. Once she heard Zukto call out to her, she felt her strength growing. Her other half began to panic, holding her head and trembling.

"No! No, no! I am superior to you! I will not be suppressed!" She yelled out, angrily. At first, Kkladekk watched the events unfold before him with a look of horror on his face. But he quickly returned to his senses, feeling livid. Taking advantage of Zukto's diverted attention, he closed the gap between the two of them. He began to gather magical energy in his hands, preparing to engulf his brother in flames. Link had been watching the scene without moving, unsure of how to help Zukto. Finally, he knew what to do. He ran straight for Zukto, sliding across the ground until he stopped right in front of Zukto. He quickly thrust his shield up above them, blocking the stream of fire Kkladekk loosed. His shield was fire-proof, so the flames dispersed harmlessly. Link felt every muscle in his body tense as he stood his ground, determined to prevent Kkladekk from harming Zukto. Kkladekk stopped wasting his energy as soon as he realized it was futile. Kkladekk's ever-increasing anger scared Link, but he was starting to understand why the Goddesses sent him to find Zelda.

"Zukto, get back now!" Link ordered as jumped to his feet. He was ready to engage in combat directly. Zukto backed off as instructed, but readied another arrow as a precaution. He pointed it straight at Kkladekk as a warning. Kkladekk, not wanting Link to get in the way again, summoned a large beast that appeared to be entirely ice. It lunged at Link, but Link held his shield up to stop it from coming in contact with him. The monster seemed to bounce off the shield, but as soon as the beast came in contact with it the shield froze. The cold metal of the shield shocked Link, causing him to drop it. Kkladekk smirked.

Not wanting to lose a beat, Link drew his weapon and deftly battled with the creature. While Zukto thought that Link was keeping Kkladekk's attention, he ran towards Zelda. Before he got halfway to her, Kkladekk appeared in his path.

"You are amazingly persistent, Brother. However, I grow tired of this game." He fired a beam of energy at Zukto, but Zukto quickly pulled out his Scythe and sliced through the energy. It dispersed. Kkladekk lunged at Zukto, grabbing at the Scythe. He was hoping to wrestle it away from him. The moment he touched it however, his hand began to burn.

"Aaugh!" He cried out angrily. He quickly let go of the Scythe. Not wanting the opportunity to go to waste, Zukto tore past his brother. He fell to the ground before Zelda, who was still struggling to regain control, and pulled her to him.

"Princess, it's going to be okay. I am here. Please come back… I can't do this without you…"

At first, she fought against Zukto's embrace. But her struggling weakened, and ceased all together.

"Zu… Zukto… where am I…?"

"Oh, thank the Goddesses!" Zukto sighed with relief when he heard her voice.

"No! How **DARE** you!" Kkladekk seethed. Slowly, he approached the two. Before he could say anything else, someone interrupted the scene.

"Back off, Kkladekk! Those are my friends!" Kyoshiro yelled from a ways off. Just at that moment, Link succeeded in dispatching the creature of ice.

"Glad to see you finally joined us!" Link shouted.

"I always arrive when I'm needed!" Kyoshiro called back.

"While this is… incredibly touching… you are too late, boy! Watch your friends die right before your eyes!" Kkladekk declared, shooting flames at Zukto and Zelda. Just in time, Zelda used the last of her strength to erect a magical barrier to shield them. When Kkladekk saw that the two of them were safe, he lost it. Displaying a surprising amount of strength, Kkladekk pulled Zukto away from Zelda. Zukto tried to struggle against his brother's grasp, but to no avail.

"You brought this on yourself." Kkladekk explained. Before he could inflict punishment on Zukto, he felt a sharp pain course through his body. He let go of Zukto and staggered backwards while bringing a hand to his abdomen. Kyoshiro stepped back from Kkladekk, watching him carefully. Zukto noticed that Kyoshiro's sword was painted red, and that blood actively flowed from the wound on Kkladekk's body.

"Zukto… this is not over." With that warning, Kkladekk disappeared. When Zukto was sure that his brother was gone, he dropped the Scythe.

"Kyo… thank the Goddesses that you found us…" Zukto muttered, just realizing how tired he was. His breathing came in short gasps; he tried to steady his breath.

"Seems like I came at the perfect time."

"Oh Goddesses… that was tough…" Link dropped to the ground.

"I can't believe that we… escaped relatively unharmed…" Zukto muttered.

"You are telling me…" Link replied.

"What happened anyway?" Kyoshiro asked.

"We can talk about that later." Zukto answered, turning his attention to Zelda.

"How is she?" Link spoke quietly.

"I don't know… but…" Zukto kneeled down, to be more level to her.

 _You saved my life, even after I got mad at you for something that you do not have control over. There's no way that your other self is right about you._

"How are you?"

"Mmmm…" Zelda slowly looked up at Zukto, but quickly looked away again when their eyes met. Suddenly, a rumbling in the sky interrupted their conversation.

"I think a storm is coming." Link observed.

"Let's get inside, then." Zukto suggested as he quickly picked Zelda up in his arms.

"Where?" Kyoshiro looked confused.

"Follow me." A voice commanded. Impa suddenly appeared from the darkness.

"Ah, Sage Impa. We are grateful." Zukto thanked her.

"That was such a tough challenge for all of you… I cannot believe that the Gods put you through that…" Impa muttered. Everyone looked at her questioningly.

"I consider you my children. As my children, I cannot bear to watch you struggle so. I understand that your lives are meant to be full of hardships, as you must be tested by the Gods. Only when you triumph over every challenge that the Gods present to you can you drive the evil out of Hyrule. But you are so young, and already risking everything for this Kingdom. I am humbled by your strength and courage, and yet I feel great sadness that you must endure the weight of the fate of the Kingdom."

"… I understand better all the time why the Princess is so attached to you, Sage Impa." Zukto said.

"How is my student?" Impa smiled briefly, but her stern countenance returned.

"I think she is resting. When her other half gains control, she loses her energy much faster."

"That is understandable. She can rest in the Temple. Take her to where you were earlier." Impa stayed behind with Link and Kyoshiro while Zukto carried Zelda to her room. He lightly set her down on her bed. He turned to leave, but he felt uneasy about leaving her alone. His misgivings notwithstanding, he knew that the others were waiting for him.

"What happened out there?" Impa immediately asked when Zukto returned.

"Well, we ran after her like you said. But as we got to the center of town, I could feel that… that my brother was near. So I ran as fast as I could to the Graveyard. Something told me that's where he was. When I got there, I saw Princess Zelda lying on the ground. My brother was standing above her. I talked with him briefly, and then the Princess stood back up. I quickly figured out that it actually wasn't the Princess, but her other half. We began to fight. I thought that I was done for, but Link came to my aid just in time. Both of us were trying everything just to gain the upper hand. Finally we did, with Kyoshiro's help… but…"

"But?"

"Well, it was strange. Link and Kyoshiro were with me when I went towards the Graveyard. But when I got there, they were nowhere in sight."

"You know, I had wondered about that too. One minute I was with you, and the next minute I found myself at the opposite end of Kakariko Village. I ran straight back to the Graveyard, because I was thinking that's where you ran off to. But I could not remember how I got all the way to the entrance of the Village."

"M-me too. Except I did not find myself near the entrance of town… I found myself on Death Mountain." Kyoshiro piped up.

"Death Mountain?! How in the hell did you get there?"

"Beats me." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"Maybe it was Kkladekk. He wanted to separate us so that he could kill you." Link offered.

"Well, I would not put it past my brother to devise such a scheme."

"At any rate, I thank the Gods that you all are safe." Impa responded.

"Ugh… this just feels like one giant poe chase. I have no idea what we are supposed to be doing. We are told to go find something, so we find it. But finding one thing leads to another thing… and the end never seems any clearer."

"About that thing we discussed earlier, Zukto…" Impa started. When she noticed Zukto's face, she stopped to look around the room. Zelda was standing in the doorway, bracing against it to keep herself steady.

"Zelda, you must rest." Impa commanded.

"But… my friends… are they…" Zelda spoke weakly, looking concerned and in pain.

"Princess!" Zukto hurried to her side, pulling her to him so that she could join everyone else. He carefully supported her as they walked.

"Link? Are you… okay?" She asked slowly.

"Of course I am. Do not worry about me."

"Well, Kyoshiro? How about you?"

"I think I am better off than everyone else… and I…" He seemed hesitant.

"Hm?"

"N-nothing."

"Well… Zukto?" She asked quietly.

"You are safe now. That is all that matters to me."

"If I had… hurt you…" She looked ashamed.

"Hey, don't worry so much. It isn't your fault." Zukto muttered. But something did not feel right. Was he trying to assure himself?

"My student, what happened?" Impa asked.

"I was… in the Graveyard… alone at first. But then _he_ showed up… and then after that… my memory is extremely incoherent."

"Kkladekk must have awakened her other self, which is why we had to fight her. He intended to have her kill me, but thanks to everyone…"

"You say that your memory is incoherent. It must be that your other self is purposely tampering with your memories." Impa conjectured. The room grew silent.


	15. The Well of Three Features

Zukto felt uneasy. Of course, it made perfect sense. Kkladekk had said that he needed Princess Zelda. The curse inflicted on Zelda, which somehow created her second personality, was destroying her memories in order to ensure that she would cooperate with Kkladekk. Ganondorf supposedly was the person who laid the curse on Zelda, but he must have done so under orders from Kkladekk. Zukto remembered Goddess Din saying something to the effect that Ganondorf was working with them, and he was with Kkladekk when everyone first met near the Desert Colossus. Many small pieces seemed to fit together now, but he still had a lot of questions. Why was Kkladekk after Zelda? How did he meet Ganondorf? Why were they working together? Even more concerning was Kkladekk himself.

 _What happened twenty years ago? My brother is barely older than me. How could he have even known about Zelda back then…? Wait a second… twenty years ago… she told me that she's that old now. So does that mean… he knew about her before she was even born? How in the hell…?_

"Zukto? You look like something is on your mind." Impa observed. Zukto had not realized it, but his concern over the situation was showing plainly.

"Ah, yeah… this is going to sound crazy though. My brother mentioned something while we were fighting. I would like to preface this with the fact that my brother is only a few years older than me. But he said that he has known about the Princess for a while. In fact, he claims that he knew her twenty years ago…"

"But the Princess…" Impa began with a questioning look on her face. Realization hit her shortly after, stopping her from pursuing her comment further. No one else seemed to find Impa's behavior strange, except Zukto.

 _What was that? Does she know something? Wait… of course she does. She has been watching over Zelda since she was born, right? Whoah, what if this is connected to Zelda's upbringing? Impa won't say a word about that, and she is acting pretty suspicious right now… it would make sense. But even if I am on to something, how did Kkladekk know Zelda twenty years ago? He would have been a kid back then. Sure he was smarter than the average child, but no matter what the case this is making no sense to me…_

"The only way for him to know me back then… would be if he knew my father." Zelda said nervously.

"Something isn't right here, but we still don't have all of the information." Zukto said that, but he felt like Impa was partially to blame. She had information about Zelda's youth, he was sure of it. But she already made it clear that she was not going to divulge any information, no matter how important it was. He was feeling frustrated.

"At any rate… we have a job to do, right?" Kyoshiro loudly cleared his throat before speaking to get everyone's attention.

"Yes, but we cannot go when Zelda is in this condition." Zukto pointed out. Kyoshiro fell quiet.

"Kkladekk will not return, at least not for some time. We can afford to rest, I think. Then we can begin our search for the next item." Link offered.

"It's all we can do, at this point. Sage Impa, where is the safest place for us to rest?" Zukto turned to Zelda's attendant.

"Here. Do not leave the Temple, not until you have secured the ancient artifact that hides within. I will not always be with you, but know that I am always watching to ensure your safety."

"Understood. Thank you, again." With that, Impa disappeared. Everyone looked to Zelda.

"Everything on this floor is… available for your use. We have guest rooms, and of course the library. The part of the Temple that likely holds the item we are after is located a couple of floors below us. There is a seal designed to keep any evil creatures from coming up here. So do not worry: we are safe." She explained.

"We can continue to discuss the Temple proper later. For now, it may be best if you get some rest Princess Zelda." Zukto suggested.

"… Fine." She conceded. She still looked unhappy with being told what to do, but Zukto was grateful that she at least listened to common sense.

"I think all of us need to follow suit." Link wandered off, likely looking for where the extra rooms where. Kyoshiro followed wordlessly. Zukto lingered behind, not wanting to leave Zelda alone.

"Princess Zelda, I sincerely apologize for earlier." He lowered his voice, not wanting anyone else to hear.

"I apologize as well. I have not been myself as you know… I just get so angry so quickly… I know that this will just sound like an excuse but most of what I said came from my other self…"

"But… part of you really feels like that; I am right, aren't I?" Zukto looked away from her.

"I… I suppose that yes, part of me really feels that way to some degree. But Zukto, please do not take it to heart. Even if part of me really meant those things, that part of me is not who is speaking to you right now. I can understand though if you would rather not…" She trailed off, looking despondent.

"H-hey, no, don't worry about it. We will all stand by your side no matter what. We can fix this." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She did not say anything in response. Again, her attention seemed to be on something far removed from their surroundings.

"Well, I should leave now. Goodnight, Zelda…" Zukto muttered, leaving her behind. He had to try really hard to prevent himself from stopping and turning back to face her.

Link was waiting for him a ways from Zelda's room.

"I think we three should stick together. There's a nice, big room here for us."

"It's probably a good idea. Where's Kyo?"

"Already sleeping, I think. Which is funny, 'cause he had much less of a part in the fight earlier. You'd think that _I_ , or even you, would be desperate for sleep."

"To be honest, I doubt I'll sleep much. My body is tired, but my mind is much too active."

"Mmm, I can understand that. Worried about how everything is going to progress from here on out?"

"Yeah. Well, worried doesn't quite cover it. I'm… scared."

"Look… no one said that any of this would be easy. But you've already done so much, Zukto. Though I have only known you for a short time… I can see why your fate brought you to bear such a tremendous weight. Most people would have given up already. They would have searched for any kind of excuse to avoid the responsibility. And yet here you are."

"And yet, here _we_ are. I know that all of this would have been impossible on my own." Zukto added.

"And that's why everything will work out. We started this as a team, and that's how we'll finish it."

"Thanks. If I can't sleep, I'll leave the room so I don't bother you two." Zukto quietly set aside his things before lying on a free bed, staring at the ceiling. Link followed suit.

Kyoshiro could not see anything: he was surrounded by darkness. All around him, voices echoed throughout the void.

 _Where the hell am I? And why is it so noisy here?_

He reached out, stumbling. Though he felt lost, something was nonetheless comforting. What was so familiar?

All of a sudden, he found himself in a small room. Many young boys were running about, loudly playing. Kyoshiro was at one end of the room, by himself. No one would talk to him. He accepted being alone; it just felt natural. It did not take long for the lively scene to be obscured by darkness. As his vision failed him, all he could hear was someone yelling "Run!"

His eyes opened with a start.

 _What the hell? Was I dreaming? I don't remember the last time I had such a vivid one…_

He took a moment to look around. The room was entirely dark, and he was sure that he heard Link's steady breathing close by.

 _Mmm, wonder how long I was asleep… probably should just try again. It's not like I could do anything else right now anyway…_

Before he fell asleep again, Kyoshiro's mind wandered to his childhood. For some reason, he could hardly remember it. He remembered an orphanage, but he could not remember how long he had been there.

 _Something's… missing…_

There was a forest nearby. Kyoshiro was riding in a wagon with a few other people, but he did not know who they were. An older lady and a young girl were passing the time with lively conversation. For some reason, he felt really irritated. The man driving the wagon did not speak much, keeping to himself like Kyoshiro did. Eventually, Kyoshiro was snapped out of his apathy when the horse pulling the wagon unexpectedly lunged.

"What's happening?!" The woman sounded alarmed.

"Damn beasts, get back!" The man sounded frustrated as he lashed a whip at something that Kyoshiro could not see. Not long after that, he _heard_ it: snarling. They were being attacked by Wolfos.

The man released the horse from its harness, hoping that it could help him fight off their attackers. One of the Wolfos took advantage of him being distracted, and went on the offensive. All Kyoshiro heard was a sickening sound, followed by the man's desperate cry for help. His face went pale as he looked over the edge of the wagon at the man, doubled over on the ground. The older woman and the young girl were hysterical at this point. Kyoshiro's entire body shook in fear, but all he could think about was getting them away from the situation.

"Run!"

This time, Kyoshiro sat upright as he woke up. His breathing was shallow, and he felt beads of sweat on his forehead.

 _Shit… that was a nightmare… but it seemed so real. Did that actually happen to me?_

He rubbed his forehead with the back of his arm, trying to remove some of the sweat.

 _Well, if that actually happened to me… that means I know the ending at least: I'm still alive to this day. But why had I forgotten about that? I mean, obviously it is an unpleasant memory… but it must be an important one, too._

Kyoshiro looked around again, and noticed that one bed was empty. Zukto was not here? Not in the mood for sleep, at least not so soon after his most recent dream, Kyoshiro quietly slid out of bed so that he could find Zukto.

Zukto was pacing back and forth in the study. Kyoshiro raised a hand up at him in greeting when Zukto looked his way.

"You only slept for a short while I see." Zukto observed quietly.

"Well yeah… I uh, had a pretty intense dream. Woke up from it."

"Dreams are mysterious things, aren't they? We can experience the breadth and depth of human emotions through them. One can elicit fear, another one sorrow, and yet another one joy…" Zukto muttered, thinking about the dreams that he had been having as well as the dream Zelda told him about.

"Have you ever dreamed about something from the future? Or the past?" Kyoshiro suddenly asked.

"Funny that you should ask that. Ever since we came to Kakariko, I've been having these dreams… or perhaps 'visions' is a better word for them. I believe that I have been reliving my past through my dreams. I see things that I had forgotten about."

"Oh, you too? The dream that just woke me might have been like that. It seems so real, so nostalgic… but uh, the dream I had was a really unpleasant one."

"So Kyo… I have never asked. Where are you from, anyway?" Zukto decided to change the subject. He had a feeling that Kyoshiro would not want to repeat what had happened in the dream.

"I, er… ah, geez. This is something I have tried not to spend much time thinking about, but being in this place seems to have brought my memories of this time back to the forefront of my mind. I honestly do not remember where I am from. I remember growing up in an orphanage. There's one in Castle Town; that's where my earliest memories are from. Eventually, a relative did come by the orphanage and took me away. His family lived in Castle Town already, so I ended up staying in town. And then of course, you know I got the job as a bounty hunter. I always kinda stayed in the same area." Zukto had been listening intently, but he looked shocked when he discovered that Kyoshiro had been an orphan.

"I had no idea. So your life as a young child and young adult was also unstable, much like the Princess'." Zukto observed.

"Yeah, I guess our childhoods are kind of similar. Except I never came home to…" He stopped, feeling pensive. Just imagining what it must have been like to arrive home only to find your parents murdered…

"You never talk about your family. Where are they?"

"You know, I don't know and frankly don't care." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Ah, that was a rather pointed response."

"You never talk about your family, either." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"Ha. You got me. But with a brother like Kkladekk…" Zukto paused.

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget? I am sure that you prefer not to think about him more than necessary."

"I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, he is my brother. We grew up together. But… the way he is now, he is way different than he used to be."

"You were saying earlier that something doesn't really make sense regarding your brother?"

"Yeah. So Kkladekk is 27 years old; I am 25. Zelda is twenty, and yet Kkladekk claims that he knew of her from the time of her birth. He would have been just seven years old when the Princess was born. He was still home with us, on Charcai, at seven years old. It just makes no sense to me how he could have known about Zelda all this time.

But not just about Zelda… he seems to have this grand delusion in his mind that he was destined to come to Hyrule and subjugate its people. Where he got such a crazy notion, I may never know."

"That is kind of crazy, not gonna lie; with a brother like that, who needs enemies?" Kyoshiro was serious of course, but it was funny nevertheless to Zukto. He chuckled a bit.

"Too right you are. We sure have our work cut out for us. You know, my brother seems to have a great amount of power at his disposal; much more than I ever realized he had."

"Well, was he always good at magic and stuff?" Kyoshiro probed.

"I never noticed it at the time, but perhaps the signs were there all along? He read a lot, and preferred to keep to himself in his room. Maybe he spent a lot of time practicing when no one was watching. He played with me sometimes like an older brother would, but now I am starting to wonder if that was just an act. Like, he wanted to convince everyone around him that he was 'normal.' Our parents had a fairly good library, but I had never found any strange books in it. Nothing that would lead him… to becoming what he is now. There's something about him that I cannot really put a finger on."

"What if he's not doing this alone?" Kyoshiro wondered out loud.

"Well I mean, we already know that he is supposedly working with some kind of group. But oddly enough, we have only seen him and Ganondorf. Did you mean something else, though?"

"Yeah, um, it kind of goes along with what you told me before about him. He was really young still when the Princess was born, and yet he's known about her this whole time. What if he found some kind of power or being which gave him all of the extra knowledge he has as well as the strong magical capabilities he possesses? Maybe that power, or being, showed him Hyrule, and showed him Zelda. It's the only thing I can think of that makes sense."

"I guess that theory does make sense. This thing, whatever it is, must have been on Charcai all along. He came into contact with it, I guess, and when he was spending time alone in his room perhaps that's when he would be conspiring with whatever it is that gave him his powers. I still don't really understand though why Zelda ended up caught up in this. I guess whatever Kkladekk has helping him knew she was the Princess? But still, all of this is out of character for him. Let's take this a step further; maybe my brother's personality is also being tampered with much like Zelda's is?"

"So he really has changed, then?"

"Yeah. Upon further consideration, I bet that his personality change is somehow related to that entity we still don't know anything about."

"Entity?"

"Goddess Din didn't say that Kkladekk was our only adversary. He is somehow tied to a group that calls itself 'Darkness Orb.' I suspect that Darkness Orb is not merely a name. It seems too strange as a name by itself, in my opinion, unless the Darkness Orb actually exists; think about it. This entity, perhaps lacking a physical form, communicates with my brother and the others. Maybe my brother's power is almost entirely borrowed from this entity."

"So when we fight Kkladekk, it might actually be that we are fighting both him and this Darkness Orb?"

"I suspect as much. And actually, since we are already visiting this possibility, perhaps we can make the conjecture that my brother does not actually have visions of conquest. Perhaps he is merely a slave to this thing, and the Darkness Orb is what truly seeks to dominate Hyrule. My brother might just be a puppet, much like Zelda when her other personality takes over. It makes sense to me that the curse which created Zelda's other half came directly from this thing."

"You know… I did not really pay much attention to it at the time, but… I think that we might actually have a small little piece of evidence to support your idea." Kyoshiro looked thoughtful.

"Oh?" Zukto was a bit surprised that Kyoshiro might have remembered something that he did not.

"Remember when we fought that massive dragon? When Zelda grabbed his shadow for the first time to pin him down, he shouted 'what in the Orb's name?!' or something to that effect. So… there's our answer. The Orb really does exist, because that dragon knew about it."

"Damn, Kyo… seriously, good work. The fact that you remembered that just now is huge. I feel pretty confident now about the fact that the mastermind behind all of this is actually the Darkness Orb, whatever it might be: it could be anything. But geez, why did it pick my brother of all people?" Zukto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking overwhelmed.

"We don't have a choice, you know. If your brother is neck-deep in this, then he has to answer for what he's done." Kyoshiro said solemnly.

"I know, I know… if nothing else, we have to do this for the people of Hyrule. They will never know peace as long as my brother and the Darkness Orb are allowed to do as they please. And I cannot in good conscience leave these defenseless people to fend for themselves, knowing full well that someone from my own family is to blame for the chaos. Though it's pretty ironic from my perspective; I always looked up to my brother. But now, here I am trying to set things right after he's made a mess of everything." Zukto could not help feel, despite what he was saying to Kyoshiro, that he had a responsibility to his brother. It was the easy way out, he thought, to just kill Kkladekk. Part of him was hoping that he could still do something to get his older brother back.

"Just remember… Kkladekk told Ganondorf to kill Zelda's foster parents." Kyoshiro pointed out. Kyoshiro could see Zukto's face, and was fairly certain that Zukto still had some reservations. Zukto sighed.

"Speaking of her, I get the feeling that everything we have encountered thus far is all connected. The linchpin to this complicated web of people and events is none other than Princess Zelda herself. How is it that everything is revolving around her?"

"Well you know, princesses of the past also have gotten caught up in struggles like this one. It was always a sort of triangle due to the Triforce, of course. The princess would normally help the legendary hero defeat the Great King of Evil. But this time around admittedly does not seem quite that simple. We have two Triforce bearers on our side, but none of this seems any easier. I guess that's partly because the bearer of the Triforce of Power is only one of our enemies. Had it just been him, I imagine this entire story would play out a lot differently…" Kyoshiro had an expression on his face that might have been him saying 'of course it would be extra hard because we are involved.'

"This makes me wish that I could have spent more time reading about this stuff. But as you know, instead of reading about mythos which I could not understand I had to focus my energy on learning your language. It puts me at a disadvantage." Zukto sighed.

"Y-you? At a disadvantage? Geez, Zukto, sometimes I forget that you don't speak our language natively. It isn't that obvious, at least to me. I am going to be upfront with you: I honestly don't know why I am here." Kyoshiro suddenly looked serious.

"You don't know? Why, you're here because—" Zukto began.

"Yeah, I know, because Goddess Din told you to come find me. But _why_ did she tell you to come find _me_? What does this all have to do with me anyway? I… have been watching you guys… and I just am not in your league."

"Wh-what are you talking about? What about the conversation we just had? What about all of your usual bravado?"

"Ha. That's just a stupid act. And earlier, that was just dumb luck." Kyoshiro looked annoyed at having to admit it.

"Hey, look, Kyoshiro, you've said some kind of stupid stuff before but I can see that you have a specific role to play in all of this."

"Oh yeah? Well, O great and wise leader, please enlighten me." Kyoshiro requested, his voice full of sarcasm.

"Hey, knock that off. Now you really do sound stupid."

"What do you think of me, Zukto? Really; be honest."

"To be honest, Kyoshiro… I guess I wish I knew more about you: the real you. Slowly but surely, we are figuring out who Zelda really is. But you… you are a wildcard."

"Speak for yourself." Kyoshiro grunted.

"How did you become a bounty hunter?"

"Hmph. Another thing I hadn't really thought about lately… although I'll be honest and say that my memory about this time is kind of fuzzy. Like maybe I had just wanted to forget about it on purpose."

"You chose to forget? What happened?"

"Look, I don't remember all the details. What I do remember is that a strange man came to see me one day when I was recovering from an injury. The man said he had work for me. That was that, really. How long ago was that… hm, must have been like five years ago?"

"You were recovering from an injury? Is the injury the thing you don't really remember?"

"Yeah, I don't quite recall how I got it."

"Honestly, I hope you do remember."

"Wh-what's with you, huh?"

"Kyoshiro, there is a huge puzzle sprawled out before us. We need all of the pieces we can get our hands on. I strongly feel like there's a little piece lost with your memories. Get your memories back, and we get that piece."

"Huh. If you say so." Kyoshiro did not look convinced.

"You might not believe me now, but I think there's more in store for you while we follow the Goddesses' instructions."

"Okay, okay, I get it Mr. Pep Talk. If I ever feel down I'll come straight to you." Kyoshiro rolled his eyes.

"You're not really used to having friends… are you?" Zukto asked, looking sympathetic.

"H-hey, of course I am…" Kyoshiro muttered, looking away.

"Well, Mr. Not Friend, maybe we should get some sleep." Zukto suggested.

"Okay, I guess. Th-thanks, I guess, for tonight."

"Anytime. It's what friends do."

The two of them finally collapsed onto the beds around Link. Sleep overcame them almost instantly.

Zelda's sleep had been fitful.

"I am going there myself. Follow me."

"I think I like you!"

"I hate it there."

"I am your attendant; do not be alarmed."

"Do you like jokes?"

"I am attending to my studies while…"

"... I am tired of living a life that is not my own."

"Today might be your last day here."

"…my powers and talents would be wasted unless I used them to protect the people whom I care about."

All she could see was darkness, but someone's voice echoed through the featureless landscape. Everything she heard seemed to be parts of separate conversations, but she had no way of knowing what kind of conversations she was overhearing.

Suddenly, she saw images of specific locations. There was a hospital, Hyrule Field, Kakariko Village, the graveyard, and Castle Town. Shadows appeared and disappeared, intersecting randomly.

She was standing in the middle of Hyrule Field at nighttime. There was someone with her, but she could not see who it was. Within moments, she was sitting in a small hospital room with a stranger. Again, the scene changed; this time, she was a young child. A tall, cloaked figure stood above her.

She could hear quiet murmurs that reverberated and repeated over and over again. The visions were overwhelming her. And then suddenly, she was standing above the dead bodies of her parents.

Her body bolted upright as she startled herself awake.

"Hah, ah… dammit, again with these dreams…" She panted as she scanned the room, trying to make sure she was alone.

"Just make it stop… why does this happen every time I close my eyes…?" Zelda held her head between her hands, and she scrunched her body against her bent legs. She tried to focus on something, anything else besides her own thoughts. The room was too quiet, though. She felt ill at ease.

"Time to leave." She muttered as she quietly snuck away. The sun was starting to reveal itself above the horizon as she left the Temple. Her body moved automatically as she stared blankly ahead of herself. Zelda had not even decided on where she was going, just that she needed to go somewhere. Though she did not want to admit it, she felt mentally exhausted.

Link woke up and glanced around the room. Zukto and Kyoshiro seemed to be sleeping soundly enough, so he left the room wordlessly. He walked into the library and glanced around, not really looking for anything in particular. Zelda was not here. He did wonder where she was, so he decided to quietly check her room. She was not there, either.

 _Where is she, so early in the morning? Should she really be wandering around by herself, especially considering what happened yesterday…?_ Link felt conflicted; part of him wanted to wake up Kyoshiro and Zukto so they could look for her. Part of him considered instead that maybe she needed space. But even if she needed space, she could surely just lock herself in a room? It seemed more reckless than anything for her to just wander off without any kind of explanation. It was this consideration that prompted him to return to rouse Zukto and Kyoshiro.

"Hey, wake up." Link said as he shook the guys awake.

"Uuggh whatisit…" Kyoshiro muttered, barely awake.

"E-everything okay…?" Zukto got up almost immediately, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, er, I am not sure where Zelda is… given what happened yesterday, having her wander around is…"

"Y-yeah, you have a point. Gods, I have no idea why she does this so often… Let's go check around town. I have a couple of spots in mind for now." Zukto stood up and looked over at Kyoshiro expectantly.

"Coming?"

"S-sure, I guess… I'm getting up…" Kyoshiro seemed a lot less alert, but he stood up too and filed out after the other two.

They found themselves in the graveyard first, as Zukto knew about her parents' grave. The three heroes found the grave, but Zelda was nowhere to be seen.

"So, she had foster parents? That is awfully strange. Isn't she a Princess?" Link questioned as the three of them grouped in front of it.

"She is, but uh, yeah, none of us know why she was raised here. She doesn't know either."

"Strange…" Link repeated, looking perplexed. Zukto's eyes wandered around the graveyard, thinking about where they ought to look next. Suddenly, something caught his eye on another grave.

"Wait a second…" He muttered as he moved over to the other grave. The marker looked less maintained than the other one they had been at, so the name on it was not immediately legible. Zukto rubbed his hand across it to try to clean it up. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the name chiseled into it: Princess Zelda. His heart pounded painfully in his chest as he hesitantly rubbed at the marker to reveal the date on it. It was dated from 20 years ago, and apparently this girl had died shortly after birth.

"Li-Link, Kyoshiro… c-come see this…" Zukto stammered, feeling sick to his stomach. No matter how unwell he felt, however, he just could not look away from the grave marker. His friends joined him, and both of them were equally shocked.

"Z-Zelda died… 20 years ago…?" Kyoshiro stammered, now fully alert.

"Dear Goddesses, what in Hyrule's name does this mean?" Link questioned, looking disturbed.

"There… there could be one million explanations for this. And really, each one is more outlandish than the last…" Zukto muttered, feeling at a loss.

"Impa knows, doesn't she?" Kyoshiro offered. Zukto knew that Impa knew. There was no way that she was not aware of what was going on, but apparently she was prepared to go to her own grave before saying anything about it. So they needed a different plan.

"We… we cannot show this to Zelda… Something tells me that she has not actually seen this before. Just think, if she had… Just think if _you_ suddenly found a tombstone with your own name on it…" Link shook his head, looking grave.

"Do we just… pretend that we never saw this…? Gods, how do I face her now? When I look at her face, I have a feeling that this will be nagging at the back of my mind… this can't just be some weird coincidence." Zukto finally looked away from it.

"… I have a crazy idea… we could ask Kkladekk about this." Kyoshiro suddenly suggested. Zukto's heart stopped for a moment, but he turned quickly to look at Kyoshiro.

"That… is the craziest idea I have ever heard… but honestly, that's exactly what we have to do. My brother must know about this."

"But of course… how do we _find_ your brother? He has only ever come to us, and he has not left any kind of clue as to where he hides when he is not actively pursuing us." Link pointed out.

"True… maybe we need to find the next weapon first. We could ask Goddess Din once we return to her."

"I suppose that's the best plan we have for now. But remember, we have to pretend that this does not exist. Don't do anything that would make her suspicious." Link cautioned. The three solemnly nodded, still reeling over the discovery they had made. If Princess Zelda was buried twenty years ago, then who was the girl traveling with them…?

"Ah, but this really sidetracked us. We still don't know where the Princess is." Zukto felt nervous, but they needed to find her.

"Mmm, right. Let's go into town." Link led the way this time. The three looked around town, and asked a few of the villagers who already were awake about anyone who had been wandering around. One villager mentioned that a dark-haired girl left town a while ago, in the direction of Castle Town. The three knew were thankful to have at least an idea about where to find her, and headed in the direction the villager suggested.

Zelda was standing in Hyrule Field, looking towards Kakariko Village.

 _I was here before, when I was younger. I met someone on my way to the village. But who was it…? Why can I not see his face? Or hear his voice? Damn my stupid memories… soon, will I even be able to remember who I am anymore?_ She felt scared.

In the distance, she suddenly discerned figures coming down the stone steps that led up to the village; so they had figured out where to find her. Even though the figures were still far away, she just knew that it was Zukto and the others. Part of her wanted to run and hide, but she was not really sure where she could hide. Instead, she just stood there and waited for them to approach her.

"Hey, I see someone way out there. It might be her." Kyoshiro pointed off a ways at something just standing in the Field. The sun was almost completely above the horizon now, so visibility was improving.

"Yeah, it is probably her. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like she's running away or anything." Zukto sighed.

"She'll come back with us. We still need to find the next weapon after all."

After a bit of walking, they could see that the person was indeed Zelda. She had not moved the whole time.

"Hey, you know, you worry us when you just disappear. What if Kkladekk had—" Zukto began when they were within ear shot of her.

"D-does it really matter… what happens to me…" Zelda's gaze shifted to the ground. She sounded miserable.

"Wh-what in Din's name are you saying? Of course it matters to us what happens to you." Even though finding that grave with her name on it worried him, he still felt the same way about the woman standing before them. Of course he cared about her, more than he cared about a lot of people.

"Earlier Zukto, you asked me not to forget about you. I… I cannot promise you that I will remember you. I cannot promise that I will remember any of you, or anything we have done together thus far. And that… that honestly scares me. It scares me that everything I have done in my life so far, everyone whom I have met, will cease to have meaning. It scares me even more that… well I mean, what happens after… after I forget everything?" Zelda was panicking.

"Princess, look at me." Zukto requested. Zelda did, but he could see the confusion in her eyes.

"You are probably the most important person alive right now. Do you understand what I am saying? You are the Princess of Hyrule. We have to win. When we do, you can succeed to the throne. You will become the Queen of Hyrule, the most powerful human of the next several decades. There will be books written about you, whether you like it or not.

Now, you have a choice. Do you want to just give in to your other self, do you want to just hand over your life to her? If you do, she will become the Queen of Hyrule and likely plunge this land into a century of chaos. But nobody knows, except us, about your other self. So everyone will blame _you_ for what happens. Do you want to go down in history as one of the most ruthless, tyrannical leaders Hyrule has seen in centuries? Is that what you want?"

Zelda stared at him wordlessly as he spoke. His argument was, admittedly, compelling.

"I completely understand what you are saying, Zukto. And yes, you are right. If I give up now, then my other self will assume control. She will likely kill all of you, since you know about her. You were able to stop her last time, but I cannot help but worry that it was a fluke, or a stroke of luck, or… anyway… this is hard for me to say, b-but… I care about you, okay?" Zelda looked really frustrated with herself. Everyone else looked surprised.

"And _we_ care about you. That is why we came out here to find you. Now that we know that everyone is okay, relatively speaking, what do you say we do what we came here to do hm?" Zukto felt so relieved to hear Zelda say that she cared about them. He felt more energized.

"Before we take off, I need to say something. I do not want you guys to expect a miracle from me, okay? There are still things that I just… it sometimes is a reflex for me to act and talk a certain way. I might still seem abrasive on and off like before. And I know that it is not really how f-friends talk to each other. But I will try my best to not be… so uptight. Just bear with me, okay?" Zelda requested. Everyone nodded.

"Just do things at your own pace, Princess Zelda." Link smiled.

"I think that applies to me, too." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Hm?" Zelda tilted her head a bit, looking curious.

"I, uh, I told this to Zukto when it was just him and I earlier… but I kind of had this tough guy act going for a while there. I honestly felt like—and maybe I still kind of do—that I didn't belong with this group. I am nobody, really. But Zukto told me that he thinks I do indeed have a place here with everyone. We'll see if he's right or not… but regardless, what we're doing is not something that just anybody could do. I recognize that much. So even if I am a nobody, I know that you could not find someone to replace me. Ah hell, I know, that sounded so conceited. You get what I'm saying!" Kyoshiro's face turned a little red and he avoided making eye contact with anyone.

"Your point is crystal clear." Zukto nodded with understanding.

"This… journey—I suppose that's what we should call it—is incredibly dangerous. It takes more than just skill with a blade to endure the challenges we face daily. And really, what Zukto said to me before rings true: this is absolutely not something that any one of us could do alone. We _need_ each other. We each have unique talents and abilities that can help each other out of tough spots. So we just need to focus on tackling our problems together as a team. Whenever one of us has a problem, it affects everyone. I think we need to remember that." Link looked around at everyone knowingly.

"Y-yes. You are correct." Zelda nodded.

"Well, shall we head back to the Shadow Temple? I believe we have something to look for." Zukto turned back towards Kakariko Village with everyone else in tow. There was a different energy between everyone now: Zukto was certain that it felt more relaxed than it had before. There were still some concerns weighing on his mind, just as everyone else surely had their own. Zukto knew though that he could not allow any uncertainties to control him. Zelda surely knew this as well, though her current condition seemed to suggest that it was harder for her to maintain her normal composure.

 _Just hold on, Princess; I will help you, even if I don't know when I'll be able to. I am concerned about that tombstone we found, but I cannot ignore the time we have spent together so far. You have fought and worked just as hard as we have… you definitely deserve our respect._

The heroes arrived back at the village. Impa was waiting just past the town gates for them, which surprised Zukto.

"Princess, I am relieved to see you. When I could not find any of you, I could not help but worry…" She began, her normally solemn face revealing a slight smile. Zukto could tell that she was trying to hide just how much she had been worried, as there was a hint of exhaustion in her eyes.

"Master… Master Impa, I… I do not deserve this!" Zelda suddenly broke down and began to cry. Everyone turned to look at her, too stunned to do or say anything. Before anyone could regain composure, Zelda ran up to Impa and tightly embraced her. She buried her head against her teacher's shoulder and sobbed.

"Whatever is the matter, my dear?" Impa quietly asked as she returned the embrace without missing a beat. One of her hands began to gently stroke Zelda's long hair.

"I, I am so harsh to everyone… I shut everyone out… I act like I am so much better than them… but… but what I cannot admit… is that I need them. I am so tired… tired of being alone… I am not strong… why did the Gods pick _me_? Why am I the Princess? I just want to disappear…!" Zelda seemed to be venting about everything that she had been keeping to herself.

"Zelda… you had to do this in front of everyone?" Impa questioned, looking incredulous. Nevertheless, the Sage of Shadow continued to comfort her student while she cried.

"I… wow. Master Impa, it is clear to me how much Zelda trusts you." Zukto observed quietly. Zelda was showing a lot of raw emotion, more at one time than any of them had witnessed. Some might have argued that it was unbecoming, especially for the Princess, but Zukto just felt even more drawn to her.

"Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro… while it is true that yes, she trusts me, I feel compelled to tell you that she has not cried in front of me since the day her parents were murdered. I cannot say that she never cried, just that she never let me see it. Zelda is a very strong woman, but she is not without a breaking point. As you might imagine, she has been under a lot of pressure. She is frustrated by the things she has yet to find answers to. I would also guess that, despite my constant presence in her life, she has yet to find the right people to support her as she approaches the many challenges laid out before her.

One human can only handle so much, no matter what kind of power he or she might possess. I hope that you will understand this, and not give my student a hard time for showing weakness. I feel like she was only able to open up in this way thanks to your efforts, after all."

"Master Impa, of course we understand. She has been through so much, it's a wonder that this did not happen sooner… but I'd like to add that the act of suffering in and of itself does not make someone weak. In fact, it can require strength and courage to overcome suffering. The person who suffers more than anyone else is more admirable than the person who never suffers, as long as the person who is suffering faces his hardships without making excuses. Strength does not come from peace: strength only manifests itself during our most trying moments." Zukto had a look of determination on his face.

"Honestly, I do not envy her position at all. People throughout the Kingdom fantasize about what it must be like to live in a fancy castle like a prince or princess, but everyone is so utterly ignorant about the kinds of trials that the Royal Family must overcome. With great power comes great responsibility, as they say. No ordinary mortal is cut out for the responsibilities thrust upon the Princess' shoulders. Zelda feels like she is unworthy of her position… but I feel that no one but her is worthy. Seeing her suffering like this just reminds me that she is just as vulnerable as any of us. Human suffering is one of the only absolutes in our world, after all. And her humbleness gives me hope for the future." Link had an inexplicable look of serenity on his face.

"Those two—Link and Zukto, I mean—speak a lot better than I do… like they always know what to say. I don't know what to say, except that I also have pushed people away. And I can attest to the loneliness you feel. But you don't want to admit that you are lonely because people would then perceive you as weak. When you struggle by yourself day in and day out, you cannot afford to be seen as weak. But we aren't weak, dammit. Not by a long shot. People always act like they are better than others… I guess it's just something we stupid humans do. I've done it, too. But we know better now, right? We all make mistakes… but we'll just learn and move on. And maybe next time we'll screw up less." Kyoshiro looked troubled by something when he finished.

"All of you show a hidden wisdom within you. Princess, you certainly are very lucky to be surrounded by people who are so insightful. I hope you were paying attention to each of them." Impa looked quite proud.

"H-hey…" Zelda began as she turned away from Impa to face the group. Her eyes were a bit puffy from crying. She seemed to be hesitant about something.

"Feel better?" Zukto asked, giving her a gentle smile.

"I-I suppose that I do. I have been sleeping poorly, as you know. And Master Impa is correct when she points out that I have a lot to deal with. It is not easy being in my position, I hope you realize. I am kind of annoyed that you ended up seeing me like that, but it is better that so few people were around. For now, I suppose, I can show a bit of weakness; when I am before the public eye, however, I cannot afford to show this side of myself. My father is well-respected because of his rationality, insight, and propensity for being stoic; my subjects will certainly expect me to live up to my father's name when it comes time for me to take up the mantle of the throne."

"I understand that you will be under even more pressure than you are now. And sure, you cannot show weakness to your subjects. But when you surround yourself with dependable people, you should not feel shame in showing your weakness to them. What I mean to say is, do not worry about being guarded around _us_. I'd like to think that we're not just ordinary subjects to you."

"Do not get ahead of yourself, okay?" Zelda had a slight smile on her face.

"I can't make any promises." Zukto chuckled.

"Princess, it is time. You have a job to do." Impa was smiling, but she was being firm.

"Yes, Master. When we return, we will have the next weapon." Zelda nodded at her teacher before motioning with her head for everyone to follow her. Zukto, Kyoshiro, and Link quickly filed after her.

"So, let's talk shop. What can we expect?" Zukto asked as the four of them headed back towards the graveyard. He briefly remembered the tombstone with her name on it; hopefully they would be busy talking so she would not take notice of it.

"Expect? You mean inside the Temple? Well, to be honest I have not spent a lot of time in the part of the Temple where we are headed. But I can tell you that the Shadow Temple is sometimes referred to as 'The House of the Dead.' I mean, yes, it stands to reason that the Temple located nearest to a graveyard would have such a name. But the Shadow Temple has a bit of a history, you could say; a history that only someone related to the Sheikah tribe would know. I will spare you most of the details, as it can be a little unsavory… but as for what we might fight, anything related to spirits and the undead would be at the top of the list: ReDeads, Gibdos, Poes, Stalfos… oh, and I suppose that I should mention that there will be false walls."

"False walls?" Kyoshiro echoed.

"Yes. As you move around the Temple, you will see walls. Sometimes, sections of the walls do not actually exist at all. There are illusions, traps… honestly, I do not understand why they still remain. No one really uses it, not like in the old days. I suppose I ought to say this now, before… before we go in there. You may see some grotesque stuff. And when you see something kind of macabre, you may immediately try to come up with some kind of rationale or explanation for why you're seeing whatever it is. I just want to assure you that during my lifetime, the Shadow Temple was not used for any nefarious or ghastly purposes." Zelda remained calm as she explained, but her explanation if anything made Zukto worry even more. What exactly was waiting for them?

They re-entered the Temple and began their descent.

"This Temple reaches deep underground. This is just speculation on my part, but it may have been used as a dungeon at one point." Zelda paused when they reached a room with a dais and a large door. The door had a gigantic eye carved into it, with a teardrop falling from it.

"This is the mark of the Sheikah. See?" Zelda held up the back of her left hand to let the group see the design stitched into her bracer. The pattern on her bracer and the door were identical.

"So this must be the seal to keep the monsters from escaping." Link observed.

"And in order to open the seal…" Zelda paused. She realized that Impa had never told her how to open it, and she felt embarrassed when she realized she had never thought to ask.

"I believe that I can be of some assistance here." Link pulled out his small instrument, the Ocarina. He took a breath and started to play a melancholy song. The tune echoed in the small, stone room. Suddenly, the ground rumbled as the door began to open!

"What was that just now?" Zelda was genuinely curious.

"There are ancient songs connected to these Temples. The song I played just now is known as the Nocturne of Shadow. I'll be honest: I saw the song in an old book I found while we have been staying here. I figured it would come in handy, so I committed it to memory."

"Now that the entrance to the Temple is unsealed, shall we?" Zukto suggested, leading the way. It was pretty fortunate for them that Link knew that song; thinking about it, Zukto had a suspicion that Impa purposely left the book out for Link to find. Impa always knew exactly how to help them.

"So there is a song for every Temple? I recall that we found you inside the Spirit Temple; did you have to play a song to gain entrance to that Temple as well?" Zelda asked. She recalled that at least after he met them, he had not needed to play a song.

"Yeah actually, I did. The Goddesses taught me the song, called the Requiem of Spirit." Link explained.

"Hm, I never heard of that song before. But it's not like I regularly play instruments or anything, so I doubt such knowledge would have been useful to me." Zukto laughed.

"Here we are." Zelda interjected as they entered the first room of the Shadow Temple. There were large statues of ravens erected in columns.

"So… you said something about invisible walls and fake walls and whatnot… how do we know what's fake and what's real?" Kyoshiro sounded nervous.

"That is a fairly good question… I read in some old books that there is an ancient artifact passed down by the Sheikah that is referred to as 'the eye of truth.' I would think that, in order for us to proceed, we need to locate this artifact. But since we do not yet have it, all I can say is that we need to proceed with caution." Zelda looked puzzled.

"Impa never said anything to you about it?" Link questioned.

"Not that I can recall. She cannot tell me everything though, in her defense. Part of the trial is finding out stuff like this on our own." She pointed out.

"I guess you have a point there. So… everyone… what should be our first move?" Zukto looked overwhelmed.

"Hmm… give me a second…" Zelda closed her eyes. She appeared to be concentrating on something.

"I can hear… there are whispers lingering here, probably from spirits who died long ago. I shall try to pick up a clue…" She muttered.

"The Shadow will yield only to one with the eye of truth, handed down in Kakariko Village…"

"One who gains the eye of truth will be able to see what is hidden in the darkness..."

"What is hidden in the darkness… tricks full of ill will… You can't see the way forward…"

 _The spirits are right; we cannot see the way forward. Not as we are now… we just need a hint, something to point us in the right direction…_

"… descent into the deep darkness."

"Descent into… everyone, I may have a clue now." Zelda finally said as she opened her eyes.

"What is it?" Zukto wondered what kind of a hint she discerned.

"See that chasm over there? We need to jump into it." Zelda pointed in the direction of a very dark pit.

"We-we need to _jump_? Are you sure about that?" Kyoshiro sounded terrified.

"Well, there is only one to find out." Zelda pointed out.

"This seems pretty reckless, even for you." Zukto observed.

"Well, the spirits know more than we do. I actually have a hunch about this, anyway. I can explain, but I would prefer to investigate what is at the bottom of that pit first." Zelda requested.

"Alright then, I don't hear any other ideas. Let's just follow the Princess' idea. I'll go first." Link jumped straight into the abyss without a second thought. Kyoshiro practically had a heart attack.

"No, Link! Come back!"

"Zelda, please go next. I'll stay behind to make sure he comes with us." Zukto explained. Zelda nodded silently and followed after Link. With a little bit of prompting, Zukto convinced Kyoshiro to jump before him. The sensation of falling down the seemingly-bottomless pit was frightening, until Zukto felt that the pit was not entirely vertical. The heroes all, at one point, hit a sleek surface that acted like a slide. The slide was coiled, so their speed when they came to the next loop caused them to lose their balance.

"Someone stop this thing! I am gonna be sick!" Kyoshiro called out.

"Kyo, just hold on alright? We'll be fine!" Zukto tried to reassure his friend.

Up ahead, Zukto heard splashing. He figured that the pipe was going to end soon, and that Link and Zelda must have already found the exit.

"Almost there!" Zukto yelled to Kyoshiro.

"Aaahhhh!" Kyoshiro responded as he was flung out of the pipe and into the water below. Zukto was not far behind him.

"So! We made it down safely. I was pretty sure that the spirits were not lying to us." Zelda's face looked flush, but she seemed fine otherwise.

"Dear Goddesses… please… never… make me do that again…" Kyoshiro looked terrible. He tried to float over to the edge of the water so he could pull himself up out of the water. Clumsily he scrambled onto the stone walkway and lay down.

"Aaauugghh… that was awful…" He groaned.

"Kyo… you're afraid of heights and stuff aren't you?" Zukto chuckled as he climbed out of the water.

"Wanna… wanna make something… of it…" He groaned again.

"No, just it was something I've noticed."

"That was some ride. I wonder where we are, now." Link wondered out loud.

"Well, at least it was not a straight drop; that would have been fatal. But now we have another issue: our clothes are completely soaked through." Zelda pointed out as she climbed out of the water. Zukto looked over at her while she was talking, and could not fight back a blush as he noticed how much her dress was clinging to her. He quickly looked away from her, hoping Link did not notice.

"We… cannot exactly build a fire here… It is really damp, and we probably don't have any kindling… we may just have to explore this area as we are. I know, that's not ideal… we very well could come down with colds." Zukto sighed, running a hand through his wet hair.

"That water was really cold, is there any way that we can at least warm up?" Zelda shivered slightly.

"I have never tried this before, but everyone come over to me." Link suggested.

Everyone looked at him quizzically. Link held out his hands, motioning at everyone else to join hands. They did as instructed, standing in a circle with their hands linked. Link reached into his tunic and pulled out a ring. He slipped the ring onto one of his fingers on his right hand and then closed the circle by linking hands with Zelda and Kyoshiro.

"This ring has Din's power inside of it. It can only perform a single spell, Din's Fire. Normally, Din's Fire is meant to be used to attack foes. But fire is how we warm ourselves. I think that I can direct the magic within the ring to dry us off. Maybe you three can help me. Let's all ask the ring to dry us off." Link requested before closing his eyes. Everyone else followed suit, focusing on their desire to be dry. Slowly, a warm feeling spread from Link's right hand to the rest of his body. When he felt warm and dry, the feeling spread out to Kyoshiro and Zelda. Zukto was the last one to feel the effect.

"It worked! Link, that was a great idea." Zelda looked appreciative.

"Wow, you have some intriguing artifacts with you." Kyoshiro observed.

"Right before I met you at the Spirit Temple, the Goddesses each gave me one ring. You saw the ring with Din's Fire just now. I also have a ring with Nayru's Love and Farore's Wind. Nayru's Love is a defensive spell. I won't use it often though because it costs a lot of magic power to be able to use; it is best saved for emergencies. Farore's Wind can be useful: this spell can transport me across the entire Kingdom in moments. They wanted me to look into some stuff for them, and felt like it I would have an easier time if I had these. Din's Fire in particular comes in handy."

"The Goddesses really are looking out for us." Zukto smiled, pleased that none of them would get sick now.

 _So… that artifact that belongs to the Sheikah… it must be here, wherever we are. That must be why the spirits directed us to come down here._

"How about we start in this direction? If we find a dead end, then we will just come back this way and head down the other direction. Having this pool here and the pipe will at least help us to remember where we have been before." Zelda started to head down a corridor.

"Princess, just don't get too far ahead of us. There are probably monsters nearby…" Zukto cautioned as he caught up to her.

"So, um, it's not just me right… but those other two, they haven't been around recently." Link suddenly interjected.

"Those two?" Zukto looked back at Link.

"Link means Wrath and Nari." Zelda responded.

"O-oh! Crap… so much has been happening, I kind of spaced about them." Zukto felt embarrassed.

"We have not needed their assistance. It makes sense to me that they would not appear unless we actually needed their help." Zelda shrugged.

"We have not…? Wait, they thought we didn't need help when I was fighting my brother and your other half by myself?" Zukto groaned.

"Yeah, if you can handle that you don't need help with anything." Kyoshiro mocked.

"To be fair, we were there. It just… took us a minute to catch up." Link shook his head, remembering how rough that night was.

"Okay so I can admit that maybe their idea of when we need help might be different than what we think, but that means that they trust us to do what we need to do; right?" Zelda stopped before a door.

"We ready to see what's on the other side?" Link asked, slowly drawing his blade out of its sheathe. Kyoshiro followed suit. Zukto slowly opened the door, checking to see if anything was waiting for them.

"I think it's clear. Come on. Zukto held the door open, waiting for everyone to join him in the room. Suddenly, the door shut itself right after Kyoshiro entered the room.

"Wow Zukto, couldn't have waited two seconds before shutting the door?" Kyoshiro looked incredulous.

"I… I didn't do that." Zukto looked bewildered. His hand was still hovering where it had been holding the door open.

"So something wants to trap us in here." Zelda sighed.

"Okay, well, our only option then is to fight our way through. Let's press onward." Link led the way down the new corridor. As they walked further down the hallway, they could hear moaning.

"What in Din's name is that noise?" Kyoshiro raised his eyebrow.

"I bet it's a ReDead or something." Zelda charged up her shadow magic in her left hand, ready to fire it. When they turned the corner, they found an empty room.

"What's this? That noise was coming from here." Zukto looked around, confused about the noise that had led them here.

"… The enemy is invisible." Zelda muttered.

"What?! ReDeads can do that?!" Kyoshiro looked like he was regretting following them down there.

"No, ordinary ReDeads cannot turn invisible. But this place is connected to the Shadow Temple, connected to the Sheikah. Sheikah are not just trained to fight. They are trained to hone their senses, trained to be able to see and do things that ordinary people cannot. This is, I assume, part of their training. They have to defeat even enemies that they cannot see. So… the question is… where is it hiding?" Zelda intently looked over the room, trying to observe every little detail. In one corner of the room, the floor seemed darker. She looked up at the walls and noticed small little lamps.

"Okay, let us try…" Zelda quickly threw up her arms and expanded her shadow towards the dark-colored floor. When her shadow reached her target, she grasped her hands as if holding onto something. When she felt like she had a hold of something, she pulled her shadow back towards her. Everyone else jumped slightly when they heard a thump as she started to pull her shadow back.

"Something hit the ground. You heard that right?" Kyoshiro was wondering if they needed to be ready for a fight.

"Yeah, something definitely hit the ground. Let me deal with it, since I do not have to get closer to it." Zelda, keeping an eye on the discolored floor—she believed that it was actually a shadow—dropped her arms and then fired an orb of magic at the spot where she left the invisible monster. When the magic hit the area and dispersed, a loud wail pierced the room. Instantly, everyone's muscles locked up. After about a minute, the paralyzing effect of the ReDead's scream wore off.

"What the hell was that?!" Kyoshiro gasped.

"The ReDead screamed. We were right: it was here the whole time." Zelda muttered through clenched teeth.

"Okay, we're okay now. I guess you injured it enough or something? It did not come after us." Zukto observed.

"ReDeads are blind. Since we were already so far away when I tried attacking it, it was not sure where we actually were. It screamed as a defense mechanism. We need to come up with a way to dispatch it with one more hit so it does not scream anymore. If there are any others nearby, they will surely head this way." Zelda's mind was racing, trying to come up with an idea.

"I may have an idea." Link pulled out his Ocarina again and began to play; the song was upbeat. Suddenly, the ReDead that Zelda had attacked came into clear view and its entire body glowed.

"Excellent, you paralyzed it." Kyoshiro rushed straight to the ReDead and dispatched it.

"Your Ocarina is really something." Zelda observed. This was now the second time in one day that his Ocarina had come in handy.

"Yeah, I am pretty fond of it. I used to play it a lot just for fun, but I am thrilled that such a small little instrument can get us out of these binds. Never judge a book by its cover, right?"

"R-right…" Zelda looked thoughtful about something.

"I say we ought to continue, but… what if that ReDead was not the only invisible thing in this room?" Zukto questioned, looking apprehensive.

"You raise a fair point Zukto, that there could be a lot of stuff here that we might not be able to see…" Zelda spent a minute looking around the room again, trying to find new hints.

"Princess Zelda, your hand!" Zukto suddenly interjected, glancing over at her right hand; it was glowing.

"Ah! The Triforce… the Triforce of Wisdom is trying to tell us something." Zelda held her right hand out in front of her, gingerly walking around to discern in which direction the Triforce was trying to guide her. She noticed that the reaction was strongest when she faced the part of the room where the ReDead used to be, so she started walking in that direction. When she reached the spot that the ReDead had originally occupied, her hand glowed for a final time before revealing the crest of the Hylian Royal Family on the ground.

 _Hm, this is curious… why would my family's crest be here…_ Zelda stared intently at the crest for a moment.

Zukto was about to approach her, but he stopped when she started to pull something out from a pocket hidden in her cloak. It was small, blue, and egg-shaped.

"Y-you have an Ocarina too?" Link was surprised. Without responding to him, Zelda put the instrument to her lips and began to play a song of her own. A faint, purple light emanated from her as she played. When she finished, the crest on the floor flashed briefly and revealed a hidden doorway.

"Wow! Those Ocarinas have strange powers!" Zukto remarked as they joined Zelda.

"I suppose that yes, they do. You know, my Father gave this to me when he told me… when he told me who I was. He told me that I had to keep this thing safe, that it was really important to our family. I have hated this thing ever since he gave it to me, because it reminded me of him. There were times when I wanted to just toss it, to leave it somewhere where I did not have to look at it anymore. But Master Impa, she always dissuaded me in the end from getting rid of it. She taught me how to play it, and she taught me the song I played just now."

"What is it called?"

"Zelda's Lullaby." Zelda seemed embarrassed for some reason.

"That was such a lovely song. It was made for you? You must be honored." Link smiled gently.

"N-no, the song was not made for me. There have been countless princesses before me, and they were taught this song as well. I guess certain things are just important to my family. Like this thing, the Ocarina of Time. But anyway, when I was younger… Master Impa used to whistle this song to me when I was upset. It used to make me feel better, before I figured out that I was the Princess…" Zelda looked at it briefly before putting it away again. She seemed pensive.

"About that, Princess. Something is not quite adding up here." Link started. Zukto threw him a look as if to say 'do not take this conversation any further,' but Link ignored the warning.

"What are you talking about?" She looked over at Link questioningly.

"The King of Hyrule only has one daughter, and she is eight years old. How can you, a woman of twenty years, also be his daughter? His daughter is not even named Zelda; the girl's name is Azera." Link pointed out. Zukto and Kyoshiro were both stunned.

"So that's where I heard the name before!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, recognition lighting up his eyes.

"I have a younger sister named Azera, yes." Zelda looked down at the ground.

"Link, when we first met Zelda she did not tell us her real name. She introduced herself as Azera. For my part, I never knew that Azera was actually the name of a young Princess." Zukto explained.

"You say that she is your sister, but the King does not have another daughter. I remember the day that his daughter was born; it was a big deal in Castle Town. And at the festivities, there was not a twelve-year-old girl named Zelda present. Why would you, the Princess, not be there to celebrate the birth of your younger sister?" Link questioned.

"B-because … because my Father did not come to meet me until I was fifteen. I never knew that he was my Father. No one in Kakariko Village knew about my connection to the Royal Family except my now dead parents and Master Impa." Her voice was wavering, and she looked very upset.

"Is it just me, or does that sound really ridiculous? So you're telling us that you only met your Father, the King, a few years ago? And he just left you there in Kakariko all that time?" Link sounded a bit impatient.

"Why in the hell do you expect _me_ of all people to know why my family _abandoned_ me?" Zelda was furious. The scar around her left eye flashed. Zukto was worried that Zelda's other half was going to come out again. He quickly pushed Link to the side.

"Link, are you _trying_ to provoke her? Do you not get what could happen if she gets so angry that she switches to her other personality? Is that what you're after? I trusted you. Don't make me regret that decision." Zukto muttered, looking on edge.

"Her story seems fine to you, then? You aren't worried about someone going around pretending to be the King's daughter? And you remember that _thing_ we saw, don't you?" Link shot back in defense. While Link and Zukto were quietly fighting, Kyoshiro approached Zelda.

"H-hey. I am normally not good at this sort of thing, but… I know how you feel." He began.

"How in Nayru's name could you? Do not feign empathy for me; you could not possibly understand—" Zelda started, still seething.

"Princess, let me finish please. I was raised in an orphanage." Kyoshiro looked away from her as he said it. Her expression softened instantly.

"Kyoshiro… I apologize… I had no idea…" She whispered, looking down at the ground. Her anger had completely subsided.

"So yeah, I know… I know how you feel. I never knew my birth parents. My earliest memories are of me living at that orphanage. It completely sucks, to wonder why the people who gave birth to you did not keep you. I know that pain all too well…" He trailed off. Zelda suddenly grabbed his sleeve, which made him look back at her in surprise.

"H-how… if I may ask… how did you deal with that pain for all of these years?" She looked up at him with a mixed expression of pain and empathy.

"Well, it was never easy. At one point I did get adopted, but…" Kyoshiro was clearly hesitating about something.

"But? Are you… saying that it did not work out?" Zelda had a genuine look of concern on her face.

"Y-yeah, something… like that…" Kyoshiro remembered his dream from before, about seeing the Wolfos attacking the man… and then suddenly the final half of the memory came rushing back to him. His eyes widened briefly.

"They hated me. They only took me in because they claimed that I was their nephew. And then, one day, I…" Kyoshiro started, looking horrified.

"Wh-what, what is wrong?"

"I knew that they hated me. I felt so unwanted that I, that I… almost sacrificed myself so that they would be spared." Kyoshiro suddenly felt sick, remembering everything about that day in vivid detail. He jumped out of the carriage in order to distract the Wolfos. That allowed his adopted family to get away. As they were leaving, the Wolfos attacked him. All he could remember was blacking out, believing that he was going to die. Zelda seemed overwhelmed.

"You… you almost died?" Zelda hesitated.

"I felt like… everyone else would be better off if I just disappeared…" Kyoshiro covered his face with one of his hands. Zelda's eyes welled up with tears.

"Kyoshiro… to know that you have suffered like that, alone, all this time… please forgive me for ignoring your feelings. You and I really are not so different."

"H-hey… come on, you don't have to do that…" Kyoshiro muttered.

 _She is crying on my behalf… No one has done that for me before…_

Tears still in her eyes, Zelda turned to where Link and Zukto were. She steeled herself and began to speak in a resolute voice.

"You must be pretty proud of yourself to provoke me like that. But I will remind you that _I_ , not my sister Azera, possess the Triforce of Wisdom. Sure, I can lie about my name according to you. I can lie about my parents and where I came from. But the fact that I possess the Triforce of Wisdom is proof enough of my heritage. You may think that there is some kind of conspiracy going on, but the truth of the matter is that conspiracies are only invented by humans; the Goddesses would not give some random girl the Triforce of Wisdom. You can either accept the fact that I am who I say I am, or perhaps we ought to just go our separate ways." She was staring at Link quite seriously. He looked taken aback.

"I… sorry…" He muttered. Zelda did not respond to his apology. She wordlessly made her way through the doorway that had appeared after she played the song on her Ocarina. Zukto approached Kyoshiro.

"Hey, I don't know what you did… but whatever you two were talking about really helped her. Thanks, Kyoshiro. Seriously." Zukto nodded at him before following the Princess.

Kyoshiro looked over at Link after Zukto left.

"What about 'not acting suspiciously?' Wasn't it you who suggested we hide that thing we found from her?"

"She keeps going on about discovering what is hidden in shadow here at the Temple. The real thing that we need to discover is who _she_ is. How can you be so calm about her when no one else knows who she is?"

"Link, I don't understand what your problem is right now. I thought you were way more level-headed than this. She has a point, you know, about the Triforce. That's not something that can be easily faked. She is the genuine article as far as I can tell." Kyoshiro crossed his arms.

"Do you believe her so easily because she's a woman? Has she seduced you or something?"

"… I cannot be in the same room as you right now." Kyoshiro abruptly turned away from Link and followed after Zukto and Zelda.

 _What in the name of Hyrule is he going on about? Zelda, seducing someone? That is probably the dumbest thing he's ever said. What the hell is his problem all of a sudden anyway?_ Kyoshiro frowned.

Up ahead, he saw Zelda and Zukto. They were fighting some Stalfos. Kyoshiro hurried to them so he could help finish off the undead warriors; they were easily dispatched with the three of them working together.

"You guys, something is… wrong. Link isn't himself." Kyoshiro observed, keeping his voice down.

"You just left him behind? Well, he knows which direction we were headed in anyway, he can join us when he's cooled off a bit…" Zukto muttered.

"You may have a point, Kyoshiro. The man we met in the Spirit Temple would not say such things. Perhaps there is some residual evil here that has started to affect him. Perhaps we all need to exercise caution, lest the same thing happen to us." Zelda warned.

"Fair enough. Okay, so, this way I guess?" Zukto continued down the corridor, on the lookout for traps and monsters. Zelda and Kyoshiro followed close behind him.

When they found a new room, they noticed a couple of large monsters who were slowly pacing around the room. Each of them dragged a large blade around with them.

"Oh merciful Goddesses, those are ReDead Knights. They are really powerful, so be on your guard. They can paralyze you like regular ReDeads can, though their screams are not as loud. It is best to fight only one at a time, but they are so close together we probably have no choice but to fight them simultaneously. I can try to immobilize one of them, leaving you two to fight the other one. That will probably make things easier." Zelda got into position to use her magic. By extending her shadow, she was able to grab onto one of the ReDead Knights.

"Better kill the other one quickly; I do not know how long I can hold this one!" Zelda called out as her friends closed in on the other monster.

"Kyoshiro, I will stun it with an arrow. When it is distracted, rush in and disarm it." Zukto quickly pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at the ReDead. The monster flinched slightly, but quickly recovered. It threw its head back for a brief moment before leaning towards Zukto and unleashing a massive shock wave as if it was screaming. As soon as it passed through Zukto, he was immobilized. Kyoshiro rolled out of the way of the shockwave just in time. As he recovered from his roll, the monster was still recovering from using its scream. He quickly moved in and sliced off the monster's sword-wielding arm. With the monster disarmed, Kyoshiro finished it off. Just as he finished off the one ReDead Knight, Zelda had to let go of the other one because a Red Bubble was charging towards her.

"Damn, where did this thing come from?!" Zelda muttered as she threw up a barrier just before the Bubble flew right into her. The Bubble bounced off of the shield, losing the cloak of flames its body had been enveloped in. Finally, Zukto regained control of his body and fired an arrow at the bouncing skull, killing it instantly. The ReDead Knight was heading straight towards them.

"We need to get some space between us and it. Fighting the thing at close range really is not a good idea." Zelda quickly backed away from it, though the ReDead Knight was much faster than a regular ReDead.

"Get down!" Someone called out. Though they were confused, everyone complied. As soon as they were crouched down close to the ground, something flew through the air and collided with the ReDead Knight. The projectile exploded on impact. After the first one exploded, another one quickly followed. The second projectile felled the monster.

"Wow, what was that? An exploding arrow?" Zelda questioned as the heroes straightened themselves out.

"It's a little trick I learned." Link explained as he rejoined them. Everyone looked at him, unsure of whether or not he was going to cause another scene.

"Would have been nice if you had been helping us from the beginning." Zukto scoffed.

"Excuse me? I've been here this whole time. You guys just ran off without me all of a sudden." Link looked put out.

"I don't just mean about this Temple, you know. Shouldn't you have been helping us from the beginning, Mr. Legendary Hero? What were you investigating, anyway? It seems so convenient that you suddenly found us at the Spirit Temple." Zukto was being uncharacteristically antagonistic, which confused Zelda.

"Are you… insinuating that I am working with the enemy? Zukto, do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? Ganondorf, the man who has repeatedly tried to establish dominion over Hyrule, is not my ally. Supposedly, it is my sworn duty to make sure that Ganondorf does not take control of the Triforce. You think I just up and decided to work with him? If that is the case, I may as well just take Zelda with me right now. With myself, her, and Ganondorf all in the same room, we would possess the complete Triforce. Are you afraid of me because of that?"

"You wouldn't dare." Zukto was really on edge now.

"You are accusing me of such! You know, I don't have to sit here and take this. I was asked by the Goddesses to come help you, but you seem to think you don't need my help. Well alright then, Mr. Wise Leader, I'll give you what you want. You won't get my help. But I bet you'll come to regret losing me as an ally. You'll have no one to blame but yourself." Zelda and Kyoshiro looked on in stunned silence as the two fought.

 _Dear Goddesses, what is going on here? Now it seems like both Zukto and Link are behaving strangely._

"Kyoshiro, let us… proceed. I feel uncomfortable standing here while they are like that." Zelda muttered. Kyoshiro nodded, and the two of them went ahead without Zukto and Link.

In the next room, two Floormasters were crawling around.

"Ugh, what are those things?" Kyoshiro flinched a bit at the sight of the grotesque, disembodied hand.

"Floormasters. If you attack it once or twice, it will split into three smaller Floormasters. If you do not defeat all three of the smaller ones fast enough, they will recombine into the bigger one."

"Wow, that sounds really freaking annoying." Kyoshiro muttered as he prepared to engage one of them.

"Careful! If a smaller one grabs a hold of you, it can drain your life." Zelda warned.

"These things are just full of nasty surprises, aren't they?" Kyoshiro said before he rushed at one of the Floormasters. Both of them turned to face him, and one of them glowed green.

"Ah, Kyoshiro, avoid the green one!" Zelda called out. Kyoshiro just barely managed to roll out of its trajectory in time.

"Why is it green all of a sudden?!"

"When their bodies turn green, they are temporarily impervious to damage."

"Seriously? Ugh, what the hell…" Kyoshiro was exasperated. Zelda fired some of her magic at one of the Floormasters, causing its body to separate into three smaller Floormasters. The little ones scuttled around at random, almost as if they had been disoriented.

"Quickly now, dispatch the smaller ones!" Zelda directed. Kyoshiro chased after the small disembodied hands, killing them one by one. As he was trying to kill them, the big one still tried to grab him. He was able to kill two of the small Floormasters, leaving just one small one along with the bigger one.

"Distract the bigger one for a moment, and I'll kill the last small one." Zelda requested.

Kyoshiro moved in on the bigger one, but had to roll out of its way because it turned green and started to charge him. Zelda easily destroyed the smaller Floormaster.

"Okay, our divide and conquer strategy worked. Now we just have this one left." Zelda joined Kyoshiro and helped him to defeat the final Floormaster. When the two defeated the last monster, Link and Zukto caught up with them. Kyoshiro and Zelda looked nervously at one another.

"Everyone okay?" Zukto asked.

"Sure, no thanks to you." Kyoshiro responded. Zelda looked back at him, dreading that the same thing happening to Zukto and Link was now affecting Kyoshiro as well.

"You have some nerve talking to me like that." Zukto crossed his arms.

"Why are you acting so high and mighty anyway? You're not royalty, you don't have any impressive powers, and you don't even have a piece of the Triforce. Really, there is no difference between you and me. We are just two normal guys. How about we test to see who's stronger: me or you?" Kyoshiro challenged.

"I have been looking forward to this for a while now, honestly. I would love to beat you and see the look on your face. Someone needs to knock you down a peg or two." Zukto smugly prepared his bow.

"I could say the same to you." Kyoshiro retorted as he readied his sword. Zelda, worried that she would be unable to dissuade them from fighting, turned and hurried out of the room. Up ahead was a door; she quickly entered the room and shut the door behind her.

The room was small, with a dirty floor. Strange arms were coming up out of the ground, swaying slightly.

 _Ugh, this is a Dead Hand… Figures that I ended up in here alone with it._

Zelda, standing close to the door, started to fire balls of her magic at the wriggling arms one by one. As soon as she attacked the final arm, the Dead Hand itself emerged from underground. It noticed Zelda, and began to approach her. Its pudgy body wriggled slowly, but its blood-stained body and soulless expression were truly terrifying.

"What vile magic creates these things anyway? I wish at least one of _them_ was here to help me…" Zelda sighed, readying herself to go on the offensive when the beast was closer to her. When the undead monster was right before her, it lowered its long neck so it could use its powerful jaws to bite her. Zelda fired some of her magic straight into its face. The hit was clean, but the monster was still willing to fight.

Just then, Zelda noticed that the wriggling arms had grown back. Quickly, she grabbed the shadow of one of them and directed the hand to grab the Dead Hand by the neck. The creature, caught off guard, screeched eerily. As it flailed about, Zelda started to fire more of her magic at it. The monster suffered another direct hit in the face and collapsed to the ground. Zelda's heart rate was a bit elevated, and she panted slightly.

"I-I killed it, right?" She nervously looked around. The wriggling hands were still there, although they were no longer moving. When the monster collapsed to the ground, it displaced the dirt around it slightly. Zelda noticed something sticking up out of the dirt near the Dead Hand, so she moved closer to investigate. Using one of her boots, she moved around the soil a bit and found a dirty, old, and worn satchel. Inside of the satchel was the thing they had been searching for, the Lens of Truth.

"Wow, so this is the Lens of Truth. What a curious item…" As Zelda was studying it, she suddenly felt something grab and pull her left arm. Because it caught her off guard, she dropped the Lens.

"Wh-what the hell?! I killed the damn thing, so what is… ah, crap, what if there is another one in here?! Shit… I dropped the Lens… how else can I fight what I cannot see?" Zelda panicked slightly, sensing the presence of something else in the room.

 _Where are my so-called friends anyway? Why am I here, fighting these things alone? Zukto, Kyoshiro, why are you not with me?_ Zelda's eyes burned a bit as tears welled up. She tried to break free of whatever was holding onto her, but its grip was firm.

"Zelda! You let your guard down." A man's voice declared.

"Ah! Wrath!" Zelda felt a rush of relief as Wrath materialized his body. When he finished manifesting himself, he fired a shot of magic in Zelda's direction. It made contact with something, and suddenly its grip on Zelda went limp.

"Hurry, retrieve the Lens of Truth!" Wrath instructed, firing more magic at something she could not see. Zelda scrambled over to the Lens, picked it up, and peered through it. Sure enough, the Lens revealed a second Dead Hand.

"Dear Goddesses, these things are vile. Wrath, shall we finish it off?" Zelda asked.

"Gladly." Together, Wrath and Zelda combined their magic and destroyed the second Dead Hand. With its defeat, the door opened once again.

"Princess, may I ask why you were fighting these things on your own?"

"Well, I, you see… something happened… to everyone else." Zelda muttered, looking distressed.

"Something happened?" Wrath looked curious.

"Maybe… maybe they have been influenced by residual power within this place, or maybe they have been possessed… they are not themselves, at any rate."

"Take me to them. I may be able to discern what is influencing them." Zelda returned to where she had left her friends, hoping that Wrath was right. When they returned, however, they had not anticipated what was waiting for them.

"Z-Zukto?! Kyoshiro?! Oh Gods, no…!" Zelda suddenly felt ill, and her legs buckled slightly underneath her. Their bodies were arranged in the same bloody mess that her parents had been after Ganondorf killed them.

"This cannot be happening… this cannot… is this all my fault?!" Zelda was hysterical, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

"Princess Zelda, calm down. Now." Wrath glared at her. With a start, she looked over at him.

"W-Wrath?"

"There is indeed malevolent power in this place. But do not allow yourself to be fooled by the shadows. Use the Lens that you just acquired." Zelda hesitantly followed his instruction. When she peered through the Lens, she was surprised to see that instead of Zukto's and Kyoshiro's bodies she was actually looking at two slain ReDead Knights.

"O-oh, these… so these are not really Zukto and Kyoshiro after all… oh thank the Goddesses…" Zelda buried her face in her hands. Wrath stood next to her, waiting for her to calm down.

"Princess, shall we proceed? We must find the others."

"Y-yes. We need to find them. I hope that it will be easier now that we have this." Zelda was still shaken up a bit, but she was relieved to have a way to confirm whether what she was seeing was real or not. Taking a minute more to catch her breath, Zelda hurried down a hallway that revealed itself once she looked through the Lens.

"Once we find the others, we then need to figure out how to return to the Shadow Temple proper." Wrath explained.

"I assumed that we were in the Temple this whole time?"

"No. We are at the bottom of the Well of Three Features. Remember the well in town? You cannot tell when the well is full of water, but all of these passage ways are connected to it."

"The Shadow Temple is connected to the well? I never realized…"

"Something else you may not have realized: there used to be a house right next to the well. Ages ago, the man who lived within the house was the man who created the Lens of Truth. Before he passed away, he asked that the Lens be buried within the well so that not just anybody would be able to find it."

"I hope that the man's spirit is not vengeful…" Zelda muttered. They stopped running once they reached a new room. There were coffins lining the room.

"Ugh, this place gives me the creeps." Zelda commented before she used the Lens once more. There appeared to be nothing hiding in the room, so Zelda wanted to move ahead.

"Princess, you are being hasty. I suggest that you investigate those coffins."

"Wh-what? You are telling me that I have to check them out?" She sighed, hoping that ReDeads were not waiting for her inside of the coffins. The lids of the coffins were heavy, but she slowly pushed one of them open. She was shocked to find Link inside!

"Link! Link, is that you? Oh merciful Goddesses, are you okay?!" She frantically shook him. With a start, Link came to.

"Where… am I? Zelda? Is that you?" Link looked a bit wary.

"Um, here!" Zelda handed Link the Lens of Truth. Link raised an eyebrow at her.

"Go ahead, use it. Scan the room. If you are suspicious that I might be a spirit or something, look at me through the Lens." Zelda suggested. Link did as she instructed, and seemed to be more at ease.

"Well, I don't… see anything out of the ordinary. And I see that Wrath is with you. You must actually be Zelda, then. Geez, I don't even know how I got here…" Link shook his head.

"We still need to find the others. Can you stand?" Zelda asked as she moved to another coffin. She pushed it open, but nothing was inside. Link climbed out of the coffin and helped her push the lids off of the other coffins. Link opened one and found Kyoshiro inside.

"Hey, Kyo, you doin' alright?" Link asked as he shook him awake.

"Aaugh, my head…" Kyoshiro muttered, sitting up. He freaked out a little when he figured out where he was.

"Wh-what the hell? I'm in a coffin?!" He jumped straight out of it. Link laughed a bit.

"Calm down Kyo. I guess that means you're fine, then."

"Don't tell me to 'calm down,' I was just buried alive!"

"I woke up in a coffin too." Link pointed out.

"So uh, we were in coffins… where were _you_?" Kyoshiro asked, looking towards Zelda.

"Me? I had to fight all these monsters. I found the Lens of Truth." She held it up for Kyoshiro to see.

"Why wasn't _she_ stuffed into a coffin too? Man, what luck…" He muttered.

"Find Zukto yet?" Link asked as he shoved the lid off of another coffin; it was empty.

"No. That was the last one. Great, if he is not here then where…" Zelda sighed.

"Hm, well, there has to be other rooms we haven't explored yet. We just have to continue onward until we find him." Link knew that Zelda was on edge, but he was not sure how to make her feel better. Zelda approached Kyoshiro and lowered her voice.

"So, I am still trying to make sense of what happened here. It seems like something or someone captured you guys and impersonated you. I just want to confirm… Kyoshiro told me something before I found the Lens of Truth. I am not sure if it was actually you, or your imposter… did you grow up in an orphanage?"

"Yes. All of that stuff I said earlier was true. I must have gotten captured right after that, because I don't remember anything after that conversation." Kyoshiro whispered back. Zelda looked relieved.

"Thank you for telling me. Now we just need to find Zukto so we can get out of here."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Kyoshiro muttered.

When they entered the next room, something seemed odd.

"Are we… in Kakariko Village now?" Zelda questioned.

"It is probably just an illusion. Be on your guard." Link cautioned.

"What a strong swordsman… but let's see who is stronger…" A voice whispered.

"Did you say something?!" Zelda turned to look at Kyoshiro and Link.

"N-no…" They said in unison. Everyone looked around nervously. Remembering that she had been dealing with a number of invisible enemies that day, Zelda looked through the Lens of Truth. The Lens showed her that they were still in Kakariko, but someone was sitting on the well.

"Someone is here. Let us investigate." Zelda directed. When they approached the well, the person who had been sitting there came into focus without the use of the Lens. It looked like a human, but it was entirely black.

"I have been waiting for you, ancient Hero. I am here to test your skills. Draw your blade, and fight me! I ought to warn you, though… you shall find my techniques to be quite familiar." The shadow being chuckled ominously.

"Link, he looks like you!" Zelda observed.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I think he wants to fight me alone. You two go ahead." Link drew his sword, anticipating a tough battle. Zelda ran over to a nearby house and opened the door, making sure Kyoshiro was following her.

On the other side of the door, it seemed like they were back inside the well.

"I feel bad, just leaving Link behind like that…" Zelda sighed.

"We probably had no choice. It feels like this whole time, we've been playing some kind of crazy game."

"I cannot argue with you there."

Upon entering the next room, they found themselves in the streets of Hyrule Castle Town.

"How odd. This must be an illusion too."

"You've got some nerve, keeping me waiting." Someone's voice called out.

"Don't be a coward; show yourself!" Kyoshiro demanded.

"Don't tell me you're in a hurry to get defeated by me." A new shadow figure emerged, this time looking like Kyoshiro.

"Defeated? By you? That was so amusing I almost laughed." Kyoshiro taunted.

"What are you waiting for, then? Come at me!"

"Princess, go on ahead. I'll catch up with you in a minute." The real Kyoshiro stretched a bit, preparing for a fight.

"Okay. Just be careful." Zelda nodded at Kyoshiro and headed towards the city gates. When she passed over the drawbridge, she found herself back in the well once more.

 _I wonder if those shadow forms of Link and Kyoshiro are what kidnapped them and posed as them earlier…?_ Zelda thought to herself as she hurried forward. Zukto just had to be nearby…

Suddenly, she found herself in the Gerudo Desert. There was a heavy wind blowing sand everywhere. She recognized that there were red flags flying in the winds, so she made her way to the nearest one. Being careful to touch every single post she found, Zelda made her way through the Desert. Finally, she could see the Desert Colossus spread out before her.

 _Zukto must be here. I just need to find him._

Thus far, she had not seen anyone or anything. She had a feeling that Zukto was either inside of the Spirit Temple, or at least right outside of it. When the stone steps leading to the Temple came into view, she was sure that she saw two figures. Zelda picked up her pace, hoping that Zukto was one of the figures she saw.

"Okay, you're pretty tough… but not tough enough. You see, I cannot afford to lose here." Zukto said to his opponent. He was breathing heavily, and sweat was dripping off his face.

"You're fading fast; I can sense that I do not have to be on the defensive for much longer." His opponent, a figure that looked exactly like him, smirked.

Zelda's ears could pick up the sound of Zukto's voice, even from a distance.

"Zukto! I am here now!" Zelda yelled as loud as she could. Her voice reached Zukto, and he smiled when he heard her.

"And you see, _she_ is why I cannot afford to lose." Zukto drew another arrow and took aim. As he was aiming his arrow, an orange aura suddenly enveloped it.

"Witness my indomitable spirit!" He cried as he let the arrow fly. Within seconds, the arrow pierced its target. The orange aura surrounding the arrow spread when it came into contact with the Zukto lookalike, eating at the shadow figure until it disappeared. Zelda, seeing that Zukto was victorious, hurried to his side.

"I am so relieved to have found you!" Zelda exclaimed when he was within earshot.

Zukto, smiling from ear to ear, hurried to meet her. When they caught up to one another, they embraced. It took Zukto a moment to realize what they had done.

 _Ah! She, she willingly hugged me… right? I never want to let her go…_ Zukto squeezed Zelda a bit tighter.

Zelda blushed as her head rested on Zukto's shoulder.

 _I just… ran right up to him and hugged him. When did I get so bold?!_

"Zelda, are you okay?" Zukto asked quietly.

"Yes. I am fine; no need to worry about me. I… I was really worried about everyone. When I was alone, I…" Remembering that gruesome scene sent shivers down her spine. She was still holding onto Zukto, but her head was no longer resting on his shoulder so she could see his face.

"Hey, it's okay. Nothing could keep us separated forever." Zukto reached up with a hand and gently ran his fingers through her hair. Zelda's face turned red again.

"Z-Zukto, all of a sudden, we…" She stammered, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey, you said that you care about me right?" Zukto looked amused.

"I, I do! I just…"

"I care about you, as well. I may have been forward just now, but you have to admit that you were too." Zukto let go of her, looking smug and content.

"I—okay, fine; I kind of got caught up in the moment, and…"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well… just do not expect this to be a regular thing." Zelda said defiantly.

"Just knowing that you wanted to embrace me makes me ecstatic."

"Z-Zukto, what in Nayru's name are you going on about?" Her blush had not subsided yet.

"So you don't get it? Princess, excuse my bluntness but I have developed feelings for you." Zukto explained calmly. Zelda's eyes widened in astonishment at her partner's confession, and her heart raced.

"Zuk…to… you have feelings… for me?" Before Zelda could properly respond to Zukto, the Desert around them faded. They were once again standing inside the well. When the damp, stone walls came into focus, the door opened to reveal Kyoshiro and Link.

"Hey, there you two are." Zukto smiled coolly, trying to hide the fact from Kyoshiro and Link that he had confessed to Zelda. Zelda, for her part, did not want to bring up the conversation around anyone else either.

"Did you two wait long for us?" Link asked.

"Nah. So, we got what we came here for I assume?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded, remembering that because of their intimate moment she had been unable to tell him that she found the Lens of Truth.

"We just need to find the way out, right?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Allow me." Zelda pulled out the Lens of Truth and started to scan the room. She was glad for a chance to look busy, so she could try to calm down from what just happened.

"Ah, I see an invisible ladder over there on that wall. We should climb up it. Considering that we fell down a hole to reach the well, we will need to focus our attention on climbing back up to the level where the Shadow Temple is."

"Agreed. I'll go first. Kyoshiro, since you're afraid of heights, you should follow directly behind me. When I reach the top, I can help you up. And if Link is behind you, he can catch you in case you fall."

"Thanks for thinking of me, I guess." Kyoshiro groaned.

"You will not be able to see the rungs of the ladder, but I can assure you that the rungs are evenly spaced. As long as you get a feel for where they are, you will always know where the next one is. Just take your time." Zelda cautioned as the others began to climb up the ladder. After a couple of minutes, when the others had a head start, she started to climb.

"Here we are Kyoshiro, nearly at the top." Zukto said over his shoulder, hoping that Kyoshiro would be able to stand after getting off the ladder.

"Yeah, sure, okay." Kyoshiro muttered tersely. Zukto climbed up off of the ladder, onto solid ground, and waited there in case Kyoshiro needed help. Kyoshiro climbed off the ladder as well, and lay on the ground again.

"Ohhh Goddesses… I can't do this." Kyoshiro groaned.

"You did fine, Kyo." Zukto tried to reassure his friend, but couldn't hold back a grin. Link climbed up off the ladder shortly after.

"That was a long ladder." He remarked. Kyoshiro just groaned.

"Everyone got here in one piece, yes?" Zelda called up as she finished climbing the final part of the ladder.

"Yeah, we're good." Zukto answered.

"Excellent." Zelda joined everyone at the top. She looked around, trying to discern where they were now.

"So, where are we?" Link asked. Zelda stood up, trying to study the room in greater detail. There was nothing noteworthy in the room, at least at first glance. Zelda held up the Lens of Truth, and noticed a spirit just floating in the center of the room.

"Ah, s-someone… is here…" Zelda started, staring in the direction of the spirit.


	16. When Your Past Becomes a Weapon

As soon as Zelda alerted everyone else to the spirit's presence, the spirit floated over to her.

"So you can see me with that device, I guess? But the others can't see me; give me a second." With that, the spirit made itself visible to everyone else.

"Sorry for intruding; we are heading to the Shadow Temple." Zelda explained.

"The Shadow Temple? You must be crazy to willingly go there. But I guess that is hardly my business." The spirit glibly remarked.

"I hope I am not intruding, but may I ask why you are here?" Zukto asked.

"I heard that humans were obsessed about their own purpose in life, but to think that one would even be concerned about my own purpose in death."

"Heard? Weren't you a human yourself?" Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow.

"Was, yes. Although my career as a human was—how shall I put this—rather short-lived; died before I even knew my own name." The spirit nonchalantly recounted.

"Do you bear any ill-will towards mortals?" Zelda questioned.

"Nah, I guess. You guys are the first mortals I ever met. If you ask nicely, I might even help you."

"Do you know how we can get to the Shadow Temple? I would be most grateful if you could guide us."

"As far as I know, all you have to do is go up. I would show you myself, but I can't leave this area. You asked me why I am down here… the truth is, I don't know. I died many years ago already, and yet here I remain. In exchange for me showing you how to get to where you want to go, how about you try to figure out why I am stuck here? I'll create a magical gateway back to this place and leave it in the graveyard. If you ever figure out why I am stuck here, you should come tell me. Don't forget now." The spirit's body faded, likely in an attempt to conserve its magical power. A weak light illuminated the center of the room, and another ladder materialized opposite them.

"That light must mark where we will appear if we come back to this place. And it looks like we have another ladder to climb. Everyone ready?" Zukto led the way to the ladder. All of the men started to climb the ladder first, much like last time. Zelda turned back to look at the somber room, feeling a bit melancholy.

 _The spirit must have died as a baby. It said that it did not even know what its own name was; how sad its mother must have been. Its spirit is restless for some reason, but what could be preventing it from leaving the mortal realm? I wonder if there is something the spirit needs to do. If it cannot leave this place, however, how could it ever know what it has to do to free its spirit? It must be fate that brought us to this place. Perhaps we really can help it somehow. Do not worry; we shall return._

Zelda bowed respectfully at the empty chamber before starting up the ladder.

"There you are." Zukto remarked when Zelda finally joined everyone.

"I was paying my respects to the departed."

"Ah, maybe I should have done that as well."

"You are quite considerate." Link observed.

"Well, my parents also…" She started, looking away from him. She was sure that when 'Link' insinuated that she was lying to them about her family back in the Well of Three Features, it was actually the phantom Link saying those things. In any case, his words could not be so easily forgotten. But how could that strange phantom know about her younger sister and the fact that she had been born before the King told his first daughter that she was a member of the Royal Family? And what would the phantom gain by trying to discredit her anyway?

 _I still do not understand… why was I raised in Kakariko? Why did the King of Hyrule then return to tell me of my true identity later in my life? Why not just leave me there, ignorant of my own origins? After all, he and the Queen have another daughter. Just make her the new Queen; they do not actually need me for anything. They got rid of me and replaced me. And to this day, so few people know that I exist. Only people who work at the Palace or have some close connection to the Royal Family… at this point, who would even believe that I am the King's daughter? Hello, everyone, sorry for deceiving you for twenty years but… yeah, that will surely go over well. It would be easier if I just remained in the shadows forever. The shadows suit me much better, anyway._

 _Do you truly believe that your connection to the Royal Family is meaningless?_ Wrath's voice echoed through her head.

 _Wrath? You too? Can I never have a private space to entertain my own thoughts?_

 _Normally I am not supposed to interfere with matters of a personal nature for you, but this matter does affect the entire Kingdom as well. As you said yourself down in the Well, you possess the Triforce of Wisdom. This is your birthright, as is the Kingdom itself. Your sister has her own role to play, and I can assure you that her role is not to become the Queen._

 _Even if what you say is true, why are there still so many unanswered questions about my life?_

 _Are you suggesting that it is the responsibility of everyone else to answer these questions for you? What happened to figuring out the answers for yourself? Is not that the only way to know the truth with absolute certainty? Other people can twist the truth to suit their own agendas._

 _I… Wrath, you are right. I owe this to myself. But…_

 _You are afraid, I presume?_

 _Y-yes… I cannot lie to you, since you can see inside my mind. I am afraid of what I might uncover._

 _I would consider you foolish if you were not. Being brave does not mean that you are never afraid; instead, bravery is when you can face tough situations despite your reservations and doubts. You must steel yourself. Before you can discover the truth, you must first be willing to accept the truth._

 _Thank you, Wrath. I appreciate your guidance._

 _For now, return your focus to your current objective._ With that, Wrath fell silent.

"Zelda? Are you okay?" Link asked, suddenly bringing her attention back to the group.

"Ah, sorry. I was speaking with Wrath."

"In your mind?" Zukto questioned.

"Yes. It is handy at times, but then again it is a bit of an annoyance that now my own thoughts cannot really be private. Either my other self is interfering, or I am speaking with someone."

"I guess that would be a pain, yeah. But speaking of your other self, it hasn't been acting up at all has it?"

"No, not since you fought it at the Graveyard. On the one hand, I am grateful for that. But then again, not knowing if my other self is conserving energy in order to attack again… it causes me a bit of stress."

"I know you cannot totally ignore it, but just try to focus on what you can do for now." Zukto tried to reassure her.

"Speaking of what we can do… I suppose we ought to get our bearings." Zelda pulled out the Lens of Truth again in order to ascertain whether or not something hidden was waiting for them. She noticed that one small block suddenly came into view when she looked through the lens.

"I see an invisible block over there; likely, there is some kind of switch that we need to weigh down." She observed. Link made his way over to the block with her direction. He reached out blindly until he felt his hand brush against something.

"Where to?" Link asked as he lifted up the block. It was disconcerting to hold something that he could not see, but there was only one Lens.

"Whoah! What the… maybe over here?" Kyoshiro suddenly stumbled on something. He could not see anything unusual, but when he stumbled he realized that he found a depression in the floor. Link followed Kyoshiro's direction, lining up the block with where the depression began. When the block clicked into place, the heroes heard the sound of a gate being raised.

"Now we just need to find what the switch is connected to." Zukto started down a hallway, but quickly found that it dead-ended.

"Hm, this way's no good." He called.

"Just a moment; allow me." Link caught up to Zukto, confident that the wall was not actually a dead end.

"What, do you see anything?"

"Yes, in fact. We have some discoloration here; it runs diagonally across the brickwork. I bet that this wall's structural integrity has been compromised. Let's try blowing it up."

"Blowing it up? Do you have explosives handy?" Zukto could not hide the look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah, I do; I like to be prepared." Link explained as he reached into his pack and pulled out a round bomb.

"Alright everyone, stand clear!" Zukto warned as he put distance between himself and Link. Link lit the fuse to the bomb, set it down at the base of the wall, and ran towards everyone. The bomb had a short fuse, so it did not take long after being lit to explode. Just to be safe, Zelda erected a barrier around everyone right before the explosion went off. Dust and debris clouded the hallway, but nothing flew out towards them. As the dust settled, the heroes re-entered the hallway which was now no longer blocked-off.

"I guess carrying bombs around can be pretty handy. Did you study how to make them or something?" Zukto asked.

"Nah, not how to make them; I buy these actually. There are skilled bomb technicians in Hyrule Castle Town, and they sell their bombs to other small shops around the Kingdom. Bombs can be dangerous, sure, but they are a great tool when you know how to use them. I like to know how to do a little bit of everything, to be honest; I have practiced archery as well." Link added, thinking that Zukto would appreciate having someone else around who knew the skill.

"You could be a one-man army." Zukto chuckled.

"For a while, I kind of was; you know, before I met you guys. I think that the Goddesses asked for my help before they got into contact with you. I was guided to several really old temples, like a temple in the forest near my home. They were worried about the temples, so they wanted me to go inside them to make sure that nothing strange was going on."

"Did you find anything?"

"Yeah, actually. I found these paintings in the Forest Temple, the one hidden deep within the Lost Woods. They were alive, or at least that is the only way I can describe them. They each told a specific part of a story, although admittedly I am not entirely sure about the significance of the story itself. As far as I was able to discern, the story is about a being that used to reside within the Temple. It was defeated by someone who looks like me, so I assume that one of my ancestors defeated it. When my ancestor defeated it, the being was banished to a space not in our realm. Some amount of time passed, I guess. The being was able to return to our realm, but all it could do was wander around the Temple aimlessly. Suddenly, a man approached this being. The man and this being must have come to some sort of agreement, because the being was able to leave the Temple."

"Where did it go?"

"Hyrule Castle Town."

"Wh-what?!" Zukto's voice got louder than he originally intentioned. Both Zelda and Kyoshiro turned back to look at him, surprised at his outburst and curious as to why he was acting that way.

"Aa-ah, s-sorry! It's nothing!" Zukto hurriedly tried to play off his outburst. He was not sure why he reacted like that so suddenly. It was a bit alarming though that this strange being made its way to the most important city in the kingdom.

"Was there any hint as to what it was doing there?" Zukto lowered his voice as he closed the distance between himself and Link. He did not want the others to know what they were talking about, at least until he could ascertain whether the situation needed their attention.

"A bit. In the final image, the being disguised itself as a human. It did something to attract the attention of the guards, and then it ended up in the Castle Dungeon. But it was a little unsettling… it looked _pleased_ to be there. Like, it intended from the beginning to get put there." Link explained, furrowing his brow.

"It _wanted_ to be there? That makes me nervous. But then again, we have no way of knowing whether those pictures even depict a real event or how long ago all of this happened. Was there anything about the pictures that stood out in your mind, anything that we could use to possibly approximate when all of this happened?"

"The only thing that I can remember vividly is what the being looks like both in its original form and the form it assumed when it was pretending to be human. If I saw it again, I would know immediately. So… if we ever journey to Castle Town… you should come with me to the Dungeons; the only way to know for sure is to check it out ourselves."

"Since we know Zelda, we can probably get permission to go down there. Of course I'll go with you." Zukto nodded. For now, he was not going to say anything to the others. Zelda in particular already had a lot to deal with; surely, he could take care of this without making her worry.

"Excellent. Let's hope though that something won't be waiting for us when we get there."

"Haha; well, better us than someone else right?"

"I suppose you are right about that. But for now, let's return our attention to our current situation."

"Princess, is there anything that needs our attention?" Zukto called ahead. He could see her walking ahead of them, but she made no effort to respond.

"Princess?"

Again, no response.

"What the hell; give me a second…" Zukto muttered as he hurriedly left Link's side. He caught up to Zelda, and reached out for her arm. When his hand grabbed onto her arm, Zukto was shocked when his hand passed through her completely.

"Wh-what?! L-Link, where are Zelda and Kyoshiro?!"

"I-I thought that was her! What, are you saying that it isn't?!" Link panicked slightly.

"We… somehow lost sight of them while we were talking… the hell is going on here…" Zukto looked back over at the phantom Zelda and realized with a start that she was no longer there.

"Geez, that thing was an illusion. When did we get separated from them…?" Link looked troubled, but thoughtful.

"I hear something." Zelda stated, looking at Kyoshiro.

"Hm, you're right. I hear something too; the metallic clank of armor." Kyoshiro slowly drew his blade, glancing around the room.

"Oh gods, I hope that the enemy we are hearing is not invisible…" Zelda muttered as she once again consulted the Lens of Truth. As she peered through it, the otherwise empty room suddenly revealed an Iron Knuckle.

"Damn these things! I hate Iron Knuckles…" Zelda gritted her teeth.

"I should have figured that it was an Iron Knuckle. Let me fight it." Kyoshiro rushed in.

"W-wait! Kyoshiro, you cannot see it!" Zelda cried, concerned for his safety.

"But I can hear it." Kyoshiro stopped right before the Iron Knuckle, waiting expectantly. The beast stopped, sized up Kyoshiro, and then went on the offensive.

"Kyoshiro, side step to the left! He is starting a vertical slice!" Zelda commanded. Kyoshiro quickly followed her instructions, making a short jump to his left. When he touched down on the ground, he quickly pulled himself into a forward roll. As he finished the forward roll, he quickly sliced his blade diagonally across the Iron Knuckle. The walking armor staggered a bit.

"Kyoshiro! Stay put!" Zelda quickly stretched out her shadow to grab onto the Iron Knuckle. The beast was immobilized as soon as she restrained its shadow.

"Hurry and finish it off!"

"Right!" Kyoshiro steadied his large blade and drove it straight through the beast. When Kyoshiro pulled his blade out of it, it collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"That was admittedly pretty easy." Zelda remarked.

"I noticed that you get kind of weird around Iron Knuckles. Why is that?"

"Ah, I… it was back when we were in the Gerudo Desert. You and Nabooru had been talking, and Zukto and I were together. All of a sudden, a group of Iron Knuckles attacked us. We were trying to fight them off, but we were outnumbered. I noticed one of them was headed straight for Zukto, and I… I pushed him out of the way. Just as I did that, the Iron Knuckle's axe sliced into my shoulder. I blacked out after that, but Zukto claims that my other self awakened and defeated the Iron Knuckles. She healed the wound in my arm, too. But because of that situation, yeah, I tend to feel uncomfortable around them…" Zelda explained, avoiding eye contact.

"Wow, you took the hit for him? That's so badass."

"You… have quite a way with words." Zelda smiled slightly, shaking her head.

"Well, I won't let my guard down like he did. You won't have to risk your life when you're with me."

"Perhaps you are right; the situation might have ended differently if he had been more attentive. But if I had let him get hit, he could have been in serious trouble. I do not possess healing magic, so I could not have healed such a serious wound. And I am not as strong as my other self, so… in the end, perhaps it was for the best…"

"You say that, but… it's not really good when you let her take over."

"There are times when I just cannot stand up to her. Do not worry; I do not believe that there is any risk right now of her assuming control. I believe she comes out mainly when I am in danger or when my emotions are going haywire. But right now, I feel fairly calm."

"I do, too. You know, I have been thinking… I owe you an apology, Princess Zelda." Kyoshiro's face was somber.

"An apology? Why? This is rather sudden."

"I said some really stupid stuff before, and I treated you poorly. Your first impression of me was, I can only guess, probably pretty awful."

"Ah, well… it does intrigue me how suddenly your disposition changed."

"Yeah, I have been thinking about that too. I think it's thanks to you guys that I snapped out of it."

"Snapped out of it? Interesting choice of words."

"I don't exactly have proof of this, but… I think there is something about the place where I was working that influences the people who stay there."

"Oh?"

"I was never like that before. I know, I could be lying right now for all you know… but the truth of the matter is that I was never self-confident, never social, and I never knew what my place in the world was. I grew up in the orphanage like I told you before. I did eventually get adopted, but I was already a teenager when a family took me in. I was used to fending for myself, used to having almost nothing, used to adults pushing me around and used to being ignored. I never really opened up to the people who took me in.

It didn't help though that the father doted on his daughter and constantly lost his temper with me. It's like he didn't want me to begin with. I swear that I could sense some kind of deeply-buried regret within him."

"It seems like, living like that, that you would develop some kind of inferiority complex."

"I did, I think. Actually, I… god, don't say anything okay? I need to get something off my chest." Kyoshiro looked flustered and annoyed. Zelda stood patiently, keeping her attention on him.

"I remember feeling like everything would be better if I just disappeared."

"Did you want to run away?" Zelda asked. She could empathize with that.

"No. Not just run away… I kept thinking that I might as well disappear _forever_." Kyoshiro said darkly.

"Disappear…forever? Kyo, you… you were considering taking your own life?!" Zelda gasped slightly, looking horrified.

"Y-yeah. I didn't really have anything to live for… every day was just another twenty four hours of misery for me. So I contemplated ending my own life. Obviously, since I am still here, I didn't go through with it but…"

"But?"

"I almost succeeded."

"W-wait a second, you just said that you did not go through with it. So why…?"

"Easy. I did not actually do anything to myself. I purposely got into a situation, believing that I would not survive. I suppose I should explain: my foster family got attacked by Wolfos. I decided to sacrifice myself in order to save them. So I drew the attention of the Wolfos away from my family. They escaped, and one of the Wolfos got a really good hit on me. I fully expected to die, as I lie there bleeding. But… someone saved me." Kyoshiro sighed.

"The Gods knew that it was not your time. That is why they sent someone to help you."

"Perhaps. But honestly being saved after that didn't really give me a new perspective or anything. I was still bitter and angry."

"What changed?"

"Well, I remember that the boss—the guy who is in charge of all of the bounty hunters in Castle Town—is the one who saved me. He brought me to a medical facility where I was nursed back to health. After I was healthy again, the boss asked me to join him. I had no ideas of what to do from that point forward, so I just agreed. But it's funny… I don't actually remember everything during my recovery time. I think I met someone during that time. But I don't remember who."

"I guess everyone has trouble remembering things from time to time… but I hope that you can remember soon. When you said that you met someone, you had this look in your eye. Even if you cannot really remember right now, a part of you never forgot that other person. How do you feel when you try to remember?"

"Hm… it feels nostalgic." Kyoshiro smiled.

"Are you talking about what it feels like when you are trying to remember the person you met, or… are you talking about our conversation?" Zelda asked suddenly. Kyoshiro looked over at her, surprised.

"Heh, how do you do that? Yeah, this conversation is what feels nostalgic to me. Maybe I had a heart-to-heart with the other person like what we're doing now."

"Time is so strange. People who lived thousands of years ago are somehow reborn again. The events of the past repeat themselves. Place names endure the test of time. Everything always comes full circle."

"Wh-what exactly is your point? Sorry, I… just don't get it."

"Did you know that Hyrule was, centuries ago, flooded by a great ocean?"

"Flooded? An ocean? How is that even possible?"

"That is not such a big mystery, at least not to me. The real mystery is how did our civilization put itself back together as if nothing had happened? When Hyrule flooded, the survivors were told to climb to the highest mountain peaks. These peaks became islands which dotted the ocean. There is no telling for how long Hyrule remained hidden underneath the water. Eventually though, the ocean receded or dried up. People slowly made their way off of the mountain peaks to return to the land that was originally Hyrule. How is it that they were able to retain so much of their culture, so many of their legends and myths; how is it that they retained so much knowledge of the past that they were able to write history books that discuss stuff that happened even centuries before the flood?"

"Er, that is… I never thought about that before."

"I need to figure out why this stuff keeps repeating itself. You agree do you not, that it is strange?"

"Yeah, it is. I guess yeah, there have been a lot of Zeldas and a lot of Ganondorfs. And the people who keep reappearing are always doing the same stuff. It's like someone keeps replaying the same song over and over again. But you brought up this topic so suddenly, so I was a little confused."

"You said you were feeling nostalgic, correct? That feeling of nostalgia is also related to the fact that everything repeats itself. Maybe your nostalgia is not even related to this current life at all. What if your nostalgia is connected to something that happened in a previous life?"

"You think… that I lived another life? Hope it wasn't as bad as this one…" Kyoshiro muttered, looking away.

"I know; I know better than anyone… how you must have felt back then. But now, things are different. Right? At least you have a purpose, something to focus on."

"Maybe. Part of me is hoping that there is still something in store for me on this journey. I can feel it, that I am not at my best. I hate to be a burden, so…"

"Do not worry about it, about the impression you left I mean… I have to admit that I did not exactly set a good example in that regard. And you are not a burden."

"It's nice, you know: I can actually get a sense of who you are." Kyoshiro smiled slightly. Zelda blushed slightly.

"S-same to you." Was all she muttered, looking away from him.

"Hey, hasn't it been… awfully quiet?" He suddenly asked.

"Y-yeah! Now that you mention it…" Zelda looked around, surprised to see that they were alone.

"Link! Zukto? Where'd you guys go?" Kyoshiro called out. His voice echoed through the room, but there was no response.

"The question is, when and where did we get separated…?" Zelda tried to concentrate on the route they had taken.

"Do you want to back track, or should we move forward for now? Maybe if proceed a bit, we can rejoin them." Kyoshiro suggested.

"Perhaps we ought to proceed for now. I am sure that they have also been moving forward in the time that it took for us to realize that they were not here."

"Kinda sucks for them though; you still have the Lens of Truth. Hope they don't get into too much trouble."

"All we can do is search for them and pray that the Gods keep them safe."

"Ugh, have we been wandering in circles or something?" Link sighed, stopping in the center of a room he could swear they already walked through.

"The difficult thing is that we are probably missing something. You know, because Zelda still has the Lens of Truth." Zukto pointed out.

"Shit, how did we even get separated? I guess there is no point in worrying about Zelda, because she can figure her way out of almost anything. And if Kyoshiro is with her, he'll be fine too. I wonder if we can catch up to them…?"

"Somehow we must have gone through a different door than they did. Considering that we haven't seen them since then, the Temple must be divided into wings. They entered a different one than we did, but of course we have no idea where we are so it's not like we can so easily rejoin them. Maybe we are going about this the wrong way though. As we've been walking through here, we always headed straight for the first door we saw. But the rooms all seem to be connected. What if we need to head deeper into the dungeon? What I mean by deeper is _deeper underground_."

"Hm, you know, I think you're onto something. The only question is how we can do that…"

"This may be tricky without the Lens, but we have to try…"

"Zukto! How could you just forget about me?!" A girl's voice indignantly filled the room. Zukto was surprised at first, but then realization hit him. Nari suddenly materialized with a pouty look on her face.

"Ah, Nari! I didn't forget about you! I just assumed that I wasn't allowed to rely on you for everything." Zukto hurriedly explained. Nari's face softened a bit.

"Oh I see, you thought that you had to do everything yourself. Maybe most of the time, but I'll forgive you for needing my help this time." She beamed. Zukto sighed with relief, believing that her mood improved.

"So Nari, what can you tell us? How can we proceed further? Unfortunately, the Lens of Truth is still with Zelda and we have no idea where she is." Link explained.

"Yeah, I figured that. You guys are silly to get separated like this. Now, let's see… we need to go that way~!" Nari declared in a sing-song voice as she pointed towards what looked like a solid wall. When she pointed at it, however, the wall faded away and revealed a passageway. Zukto still was not used to how much energy Nari had, but her powers were certainly an asset to them.

 _She may be strange, but her powers are the real deal. I'm pretty happy that she appeared of her own accord to help us, 'cause I honestly did not think that I could ask for her help._

"How do you know, by the way, where we need to go?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can sense Wrath. Surely, Wrath would be with the Princess. Right?"

"I see. That sounds really handy, to be able to track him like that."

"He thinks it's annoying, but we don't have to concern ourselves with what he thinks." She laughed.

"Okay, so… what next?" Zukto asked, bringing their attention back to their current predicament.

"We need to find a key: it will come in handy later." Nari explained as she studied the room. She caught sight of a chest, but it was surrounded by pressure plates.

"There is an invisible chest over there, but be warned that it is surrounded by invisible pressure plates. I have no idea what might happen if you step on them, but we need to open that chest."

"I'll test it out. You hang back in case the pressure plates summon monsters." Link suggested to Zukto as he made his way towards the chest with Nari's guidance. He was attentive, listening carefully so that he could hear the sound of the activated pressure plate. When it clicked under the weight of his foot, he quickly turned back to look at Zukto. At first, nothing happened. Within a few moments, however, the room suddenly echoed with disembodied laughter.

"I think there are Poes here." Link guessed, drawing his blade and readying his shield.

"C'mon ghosties…" Zukto taunted as he quickly drew an arrow, focusing spiritual energy into it. The arrow tip glowed orange. For a split second, a Poe revealed itself to Link and Zukto before disappearing again.

"There!" Zukto let his arrow fly, making sure to aim just a bit off from where the Poe had materialized. A screech filled the room as the Poe became visible again, the arrow still stuck in it. When the Poe screeched, all of the other Poes angrily revealed themselves.

"Dear Gods! There are so many of them!" Link quickly engaged one of them, alternating between offensive and defensive strategies when the Poe tried to loose streams of fire on him from its lantern.

"Zukto, let me help you!" Nari grabbed an arrow from Zukto's quiver and perched herself on his shoulder. Luckily, she seemed to be weightless.

"Get ready to fire your next arrow." She directed as she used her magic to fit another arrow next to the one Zukto already nocked. Zukto was thrown off to see the extra arrow there, but he figured that Nari's magic would direct the arrow to where it needed to go.

Zukto let his arrow fly, watching in amazement as the second arrow also flew towards the Poes. The arrow that Zukto fired hit its target immediately, but the second arrow magically spawned many more arrows before homing in on the rest of the Poes.

"Wow Nari, that was cool! I could never do something like that on my own." Zukto remarked, marveling at how much more effective his skills were when paired with hers.

"Like they always say: two heads are better than one!" Nari declared proudly.

"Link, check the chest now; maybe you can open it." Zukto suggested, noticing that the room had quieted again. Link dashed over to the chest and opened it.

"Ah, this is what you wanted us to find." He remarked, holding up a key.

"Great! Now we can focus on going deeper into the Temple." Nari nodded with approval.

"It is interesting; this part of the Temple seems fairly empty." Zelda observed.

"Well, you did say that it hasn't been used for a while. Seems like most of what remains is just undead monsters." Kyoshiro observed.

"Admittedly we are still not that deep into the Temple. I assume that it will get worse as we descend further underground…"

 _I feel so bad for the queen…_ A voice whispered.

"Wait a second, did you just say something?" Zelda asked, bewildered.

"Me? I made the comment about the monsters, but that's it."

"I… heard something…"

 _Her daughter was born just yesterday, but the King announced this evening that they laid the girl to rest. How devastating for the family, to have to bury their first child so soon…_

 _What did they name her?_

 _Princess Zelda. May her innocent soul rest in peace._

 _N-no… they are talking about… they cannot possibly be talking about_ _ **me**_ _, can they?_ Zelda's eyes widened and her palms felt sweaty.

 _Know what I heard?_

 _What?_

 _The Royal Family is finally expecting another child!_

 _Another? What do you mean? Isn't the Queen childless? I always thought it was weird that they did not have any kids._

 _She had a child, years ago. But the girl died soon after delivery. The Queen was so devastated about it apparently that they had a quiet burial for the girl. They only told us about it after the fact._

 _Wait, doesn't that sound suspicious to you? Did anyone ever see the first child?_

 _No, actually._

 _What are they naming this child, does anyone know?_

 _Rumor has it that the child will be named Azera._

… _Isn't that strange that the child won't be named Zelda? Haven't princesses been named Zelda in accordance with some ancient edict written in honor of a really old princess?_

 _Now that you mention it, that is weird. Why won't the new one be named Zelda if the other one didn't survive?_

"You have got to be… Are you telling me…" Zelda muttered quietly, trying to fight back tears of anger and frustration.

"H-hey, is everything okay?" Kyoshiro asked nervously.

"My father faked my death!" Zelda yelled angrily. Kyoshiro felt like something kicked him in the stomach, and the room was deathly silent.

 _Oh! Dear me, she heard us._ One of the voices started laughing.

"H-how do you figure that?" Kyoshiro stammered.

"I can hear the voices of the deceased inside this Temple… They have been talking about my family. I cannot have misheard them: my father told everyone that I died twenty years ago." Zelda gritted her teeth.

"Well, um, Princess… I… the others might not want me to tell you this, but…" Kyoshiro started.

"What?! Do you know something?!" Zelda got right in Kyoshiro's face.

"W-well, I don't know about knowing anything, but um… we found a marker in the Graveyard. It… it has your name on it." Kyoshiro muttered quietly. Zelda took a step back from him, feeling her mind go numb.

"So it… it is true then. My family told everyone that I was dead. Oh dear Goddesses…" Zelda covered her face with her hands.

 _Why did they erase my existence like that?! Why have they still, to this day, hidden my identity from anyone who does not serve the Royal Family?! Why?!_

"H-hey, Princess Zelda, we don't actually know why all this happened…" Kyoshiro offered.

"…I bet I know why." Zelda looked livid, but she turned away from Kyoshiro.

"I bet you that I am not actually their daughter. Why else, after twenty years, is my existence still a closely-guarded secret? People have spread rumors about the mysterious person who spends time at the castle wearing a large cloak, but they have _no_ idea that the cloaked person is me, the crown Princess of Hyrule. They even assume that the cloaked person is a guy."

"B-but Zelda, your hand… that can't be fake; right?" Kyoshiro motioned to her right hand, the hand that bore the Triforce of Wisdom.

"At this point, I have no clue. What if the real princess really did die that day? They decided to get a replacement, me. And with the princess dead, someone needed to be the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom. I could just be a convenient substitute."

 _I thought we had a discussion about this already… I wonder if her other self is saying this?_ Wrath thought to himself, feeling concerned in the wake of the Princess' anger.

 _Wrath… please, listen… carefully…_ A weak voice suddenly called to Wrath within his mind.

 _Who… who is this?_ He was amazed more than anything that someone else was able to reach out to him like Zelda could.

 _I… I am… ancient... please… keep… anger… at bay… powers… overwhelming… can be… stopped… if we… suppress… king…_ The message was quite fragmented, but Wrath was able to gather that this mysterious voice knew how to save Zelda.

 _I swear to you that I will help you. I can feel that you have incredible powers, but you must be struggling against the power of her other self. Please keep fighting._

 _Wrath… thank… you… keep… her… safe…_ The voice fell silent again.

 _Kyoshiro!_ Wrath directed his thoughts towards the only mortal who could help him at the moment.

 _Wh-what?! Who's that?!_ Kyoshiro was taken by surprise.

 _Calm yourself; it is Wrath. You must contain the Princess' anger._ He ordered.

 _I have to…? How in Din's name…?_ But Kyoshiro never got a response.

"H-hey, Princess…" He began. Zelda turned to look at him, regarding him with suspicion.

"I don't know what happened when you were young, but… whatever happened back then does not define you as a person. I can tell, when you looked at me earlier… you were empathetic; you understood the pain I've felt growing up. Real or fake Princess… that doesn't matter to me. But the fact that you value me as a person… that's all I need." Kyoshiro felt embarrassed to talk to her like that, but it felt like the right thing to say. Zelda's face softened.

"Kyoshiro… are you saying that you are okay with who I am, regardless of what the truth is?"

"Yes, as long as you'll return the favor."

"I can do that. Thank you… friends have to support each other, after all. I will try to support you in return for what you do for me."

 _Wow, that actually worked…_ Kyoshiro sighed with relief.

 _I have to say, you made that look easy._ Wrath commented.

 _I had no idea what I was doing. But I think we haven't really understood what the Princess is dealing with this whole time. Just as it seems that there's a side of her that responds to anger, violence, and stuff like that, I think there's also a side of her that responds to love, goodness, and friendship. How else could I say corny things like from before and have it snap her out of one of her episodes? There are two forces inside of her that are struggling to gain complete control._

 _Kyoshiro… that was incredibly trenchant insight just now; I am genuinely impressed._

 _Come off it._ Kyoshiro scoffed.

"Is… everything okay Kyoshiro? It seems like something is on your mind." Zelda observed.

"Er, nah, everything's fine. Are you feeling okay?"

"Y-yes. Shall we continue?"

"Er, wait a second. Princess, do you remember… what we were just talking about?" Kyoshiro hesitantly asked.

"Talking about? I do not recall that we were talking. It has been quiet here." Zelda remarked.

"R-right. Sorry." Kyoshiro sighed, running a hand through his hair.

 _Great, she can't remember anything even though it just happened. Her memory loss must be pretty bad… These attacks really do a number on her, it seems._

"Where is Zukto and Link?" Zelda suddenly asked.

"Ah, we… we've been looking for them for a bit." Kyoshiro stammered, feeling nervous that she forgot that they had been separated for a while already.

"Hey, check this out." Zelda changed the subject in a hurry, which Kyoshiro found curious. Maybe she wanted to draw attention away from the fact that she was losing even more of her memories, but the way she was trying to change the subject was so conspicuous.

"It looks like a boat." Kyoshiro remarked, playing along.

"I feel like we need to use this boat to go further into the Temple. But we cannot proceed without everyone else… so how about we just wait here? Hopefully they will catch up to us…"

"Sure, we can wait. Let's just remember to be on the lookout for monsters."

"We've been walking for a while. Just how big is this place?" Link sighed.

"I think we're close to Wrath now, at least." Nari pointed out.

"Hopefully everyone is okay…" Zukto muttered.

"We've been separated before, and it seems to work out okay." Link tried to reassure Zukto. Zukto thought back to not too long ago, when it was just him and Zelda after he defeated his phantom.

 _We're almost there, I think… I can probably give this to her soon, and then…_ Zukto, turning away from Link, tightly gripped the pendant Impa gave him. To keep it safe, Zukto decided to wear the pendant himself. Not wanting anyone else to know about it, though, he had hidden the pendant underneath his clothes.

"Nari, anything else we have to do?" Zukto asked, hoping to rejoin Zelda and the others as soon as possible.

"Hm, no, I think we can proceed. Let's go this way." She directed them down a winding passageway.

"Hey, I hear voices." Link suddenly whispered to Zukto.

"Hopefully you are hearing Kyoshiro and Zelda. Let's not draw attention to ourselves, though. We'll see soon enough who it is." Zukto quickly exited the passageway, and was relieved to see Zelda and Kyoshiro sitting together.

"Hey, you guys are okay. That's a load off my mind." Kyoshiro grinned as he stood up.

"We figured we didn't really need to worry about you two. Glad to see that I wasn't wrong." Link nodded.

"Zukto, how did you two make it through the Temple without the Lens?" Zelda asked, genuinely curious.

"Ah, it was all thanks to Nari actually." Zukto ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly.

"She has been quiet for a while, but I am happy to hear that she came to your aid." Zelda remarked. With that, Nari reappeared.

"Princess, do you miss me?" Nari giggled.

"Thank you for assisting Zukto and Link. Unfortunately, because we were separated, they lacked the power to see past the Temple's many traps." Zelda was coming to appreciate everyone's different talents and abilities.

"Well, it is my job to help you guys. I think I'd be in trouble if I didn't guide them to safety." Nari winked playfully before disappearing again.

"Now that we are back together, we can explore the deepest part of the Temple. I believe that we need to board this ship." Zelda turned her attention immediately to their objective. Everyone boarded the ship, but nothing happened.

"We probably need to give the boat some kind of a signal that we are ready to go." Link suggested.

"Some sort of signal…" Zukto looked around, wondering if there was a bell or something they could ring.

"Ah, Link, here…" Zelda pointed to a symbol painted on the deck of the boat; there were blood stains over top of it, but the shape of the Triforce was unmistakable.

"Have any ideas?" Link asked as he joined Zelda near the symbol.

"I have the same instrument as you, remember? Let us play a song together. I'll play the song twice, and then you can play along with me." Zelda pulled out her blue ocarina and played the same song she played back in the Well of Three Features. After listening for a moment, Link was able to play along with her. The sounds of their ocarinas echoed around the large chamber. When they finished playing, the boat suddenly lurched forward.

"Whoah! Hold on everyone!" Zukto exclaimed as he nearly lost his balance. Everyone regained their footing, but the boat ride was rather turbulent.

"This thing is not actually sailing across water; there is no water in this chamber." Zelda remarked.

"Hey, uh, sorry to break up the chitchat but we have company." Kyoshiro quickly drew his blade and ran towards a Stalfos that suddenly appeared on the deck of the ship. Link joined him, hoping to overwhelm the Stalfos with numbers. To their dismay, however, another Stalfos quickly joined them.

"Let's just keep them from ganging up on anyone." Kyoshiro sighed exasperatedly.

"Allow me to assist you." Zelda moved in closer to one of them, catching it off guard when she grabbed onto its shadow. When Link saw that one Stalfos was immobilized, he finished it off. Kyoshiro quickly overpowered the remaining Stalfos.

"That wasn't so bad." Kyoshiro remarked. Suddenly, the boat lurched again.

"Ah, everyone, jump towards land on the port side! This ship is sinking!" Zelda exclaimed as she quickly vaulted herself over the edge of the ship using the railings as a surface to push off from.

Everyone hurriedly followed her lead, making it off of the ship with moments to spare.

"Geez, I think my life just flashed before my eyes." Kyoshiro groaned.

"Did you remember anything?" Zelda joked.

"Oh, haha; very funny Princess." He grumbled.

"Hey Kyoshiro, maybe by the end of our journey you'll get over your fear of heights." Zukto chuckled.

"How about we stop jumping off of stuff?" Kyoshiro requested.

"You want to join the ship down there? Who knows how deep that chasm is, or what's at the bottom." Zukto shrugged.

"Everyone is okay, right? How about we proceed?" Zelda suggested, heading towards a door. When she tried opening it, however, she was surprised to notice that the door was locked.

"Ah, the door, I cannot open it! Zukto, did you happen to find a key while we were separated?" Zelda asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Here, Princess, I have it." Link quickly made his way over to Zelda and opened the door for her.

"Thank you Link. We are, ironically, lucky that we got separated. While it was just Kyoshiro and I, we did not see any keys." Zelda explained as everyone filed through the door.

"Ugh, what in Din's name…?" Kyoshiro sounded repulsed, suddenly blurting out.

Everyone looked around to see what he was reacting to; in the center of the room was a pillory with a body still locked inside of it. Shockingly, the body had not decomposed much.

"Th-there is a person still trapped inside of that device!" Link declared, looking apprehensive.

"The body has not really decomposed. You know what that means, right? This person was put here relatively recently." Zukto observed somberly.

"I… I thought that this place had been abandoned already…" Zelda looked crestfallen.

"Hey, it's not your fault or anything…" Link tried to reassure her.

"Well, let's try to find out if there is any significance to this room besides the fixture in the center…" Zukto offered, trying to get everyone's attention away from the torture device.

"W-wait… Zukto… can we… let that person go?" Zelda suddenly asked. Zukto looked back at Zelda and then the person in the pillory.

"S-sure, if that's what you'd like… c'mon guys, let's try to get open this thing up." Kyoshiro, Link, and Zukto all went over to the pillory to figure out how to let the person out. They got the top board open, and slowly eased the person's body to the ground.

"We cannot really bury them here, but thanks for doing that for me. I would feel guilty if we just left that person there."

"I bet that the person is thankful you were thinking of them." Zukto nodded.

 _Thank… you… for releasing me…_ A voice whispered. Zelda was surprised to hear the voice, but smiled slightly.

 _As thanks… let me share something… with you… the beast you must defeat… its body cannot be harmed… you must attack… its soul…_

 _Its soul… thank you for your help. Rest in peace._

"Are we done here?" Zelda asked.

"Done here? You tell us. You have the Lens, so you can see stuff that we cannot." Zukto reminded her.

"Ah, sorry, a spirit spoke to me just now. It was the spirit of the person we let out of the pillory. They told me how we can defeat the beast that guards this place." Zelda explained.

"Oh, really? That's great. Maybe that's where we need to go next, to the place where the beast is staying."

"This appears to be a dead end… so shall we head back?" Kyoshiro suggested.

Everyone returned back to the place where they landed after jumping off the ship. There was a chasm to their right, where the boat used to be, and a chasm to their left.

"Okay, we need to cross over to the other side. It appears that there is a large statue over there. I wonder if we can somehow knock the statue down; I bet it is large enough to reach this side." Link observed.

"Link, I've never done this before… but I can see bomb flowers over there. If we both shoot the bomb flowers, maybe it will be enough of a shock that it would make them explode." Zukto wondered out loud.

"Hey, that works for me. Let's try to shoot them at the same time. The separate explosions hopefully will weaken the base of the statue enough so that it will fall." Both men readied their bows and aimed their arrows.

"Now!" Zukto declared. Both Link and Zukto fired their arrows. When the arrows hit the bomb flowers, both of the bombs exploded. Zelda watched the statue carefully, trying to figure out if the statue was going to topple over.

"Everyone back up, and gather around me!" She declared. Everyone huddled around her as she erected a magical barrier for their protection. The statue fell towards them, and was large enough to cover the width of the chasm. The force of the statue's impact with the ground caused them to stagger a bit.

"Everyone is okay, right? This thing will hopefully hold our weight as we cross. To be on the safe side, perhaps only one person should cross at a time." Zelda suggested as she lead the way across the chasm. Slowly everyone filed after her; Zukto made sure that Kyoshiro was not the last person to cross so he could keep an eye on him.

"I can only assume that we will be fighting some kind of creature ahead. I do not know what it will be like, but one of the spirits living here told me that the creature's body cannot be harmed." Zelda explained. Everyone looked concerned.

"So how do we win, then?" Zukto asked.

"We have to attack its soul." Zelda stated matter-of-factly.

"Attack its—oh!" Recognition lit up his face when he realized what Zelda was alluding to.

"Are we ready? Everyone be on guard." She warned as she headed through the door that was not far from where the statue used to be standing. As everyone filed through the door, disembodied laughter echoed through the room.

"Ugh, this place is so creepy." Kyoshiro muttered.

"S-sorry, as you saw before this place has been used as a dungeon of sorts. I think really dangerous prisoners used to get imprisoned here, and some of them might even have been tortured. I was never involved with any of that though; I only read about it in some obscure books." Zelda did not look particularly pleased about that part of the Temple's history.

"Dangerous people, huh? What do you figure that some of them might still bear grudges?" Link asked.

"Ugh, that's enough out of you." Kyoshiro groaned.

"What, afraid of ghosts too?" Link chuckled.

"Well I mean, there's no reason to be afraid of people. I know what to expect from a living being, but I have no idea what to expect from a spirit. Plus half the time you can't even see them." Kyoshiro looked apprehensive.

"Sorry Kyoshiro, but we are probably going to be fighting something undead or spirit-like. We can still count on you, right?" Zelda was trying to be understanding, but his misgivings would not help them defeat the creature.

"S-sure. Let's give 'em hell."

With everyone ready to go, they approached the final door. It opened automatically when they got close to it, revealing a dim room. Everyone cautiously entered, still unsure of what was waiting for them.

"Ah, the merry band of misfits has arrived." Someone's voice echoed around the room.

"Who's there?" Zukto asked the room at large.

"Our identity does not really carry meaning anymore, not in the realm of the dead. But we suppose that we should at least show our face once." Something suddenly materialized in the center of the room. It was grotesque: the creature looked like an amalgamation of two humans. On the creature's left side looked to be the body of a man, while the creature's right side was that of a woman.

"Dear Gods, this thing could only be born with some seriously dark magic." Link observed, readying his sword and shield.

"M-mom?!" Zelda's voice wavered as she tentatively took a step forward.

"What?!" Zukto turned to look at Zelda, a sense of dread growing within him.

"Th-they… they are…" Zelda stammered, looking horrified.

"Oh, did you know us while we were still alive? Sorry girl, this is nothing personal. Our business is to kill any intruders, no matter who they are."

"Zelda, Zelda, hey, come on, you can't space out right now!" Zukto tried to get the Princess to focus, but she was seized with fear.

"I… I… I cannot… I cannot hurt my foster parents!" Zelda cried out, her body shaking with pain. Link and Kyoshiro both looked at each other solemnly, the gravity of the situation catching up with them.

"Damn my brother! I have a feeling that he set this trap for us. He knew we would come here, so he… Gods preserve us. Everyone, do not let your guard down!" Though he was trying to remain calm, Zukto was internally panicking. How could they fight this thing with Zelda in shock?

"If you will not defend yourself, girl, then we will just kill you last. That way, you can watch us kill all of your friends." The creature immediately went on the offensive, firing dark magic at everyone. Link threw up his shield, which the magic could not penetrate. Zukto and Kyoshiro both rolled out of the way, as they had no way to shield themselves. Zukto pulled out the Fire Scythe and ran straight towards the creature.

"Link, Kyoshiro and I can engage it at close-range. Can you fall back and use long-distance tactics? Keep her safe!" Zukto directed. Kyoshiro immediately followed after Zukto, and Link fell back to follow Zukto's instructions. He quickly readied his bow, though did not have a good shot because he was worried about hitting Zukto or Kyoshiro.

 _Dear Goddesses, this is all my fault… because Kkladekk is after me, he turned my parents against me. It was not enough that he took them from me in the first place… now they are trying to kill us? Oh I would rather be dead right now…_ Zelda sank to her knees, not paying attention to what was happening around her.

"H-hey! Princess! You have to get up!" Link turned back when he heard something behind him. The Princess was just sitting there on her knees, staring at the ground.

 _Shit, I wish I had seen this coming… we might be in serious trouble…_ Zukto backed off after the creature started producing spikes of dark energy that jutted out of the ground at him.

"We need to stun it somehow! Link, trade places with me! Keep it engaged at close quarters." Zukto fell back, thinking that he could invoke the same power he used while in the well. Link was great at archery, but Zukto had the feeling that he had no way to infuse his arrows with any additional power.

"Hey, Princess, please… we need you…" Zukto muttered to her quickly. She still was not moving.

 _Gods preserve us… I wonder if we can really fight this thing without her help…_

"Those who are guided by Spirit, heed my prayer. Grant me the power to drive away the Shadows…!" As Zukto muttered his plea, the arrow he had at the ready flashed with a bright light.

"Witness my Spirit!" Zukto called out.

"Kyoshiro, fall back!" Link commanded as he quickly put distance between himself and the beast. Zukto waited just a moment before letting his arrow fly. When the arrow pierced through the creature, it screeched horribly. Zelda, still in shock, looked up when the creature's screams filled the room.

"You-you… you are hurting them…! S-stop…!" Zelda begged, on the verge of having a break down.

"It will be over soon, Princess! We have to stop them!" Zukto declared as he switched back to his Scythe. When he was able to close in on the evil spirit, he quickly sliced through its body with the Scythe. It screamed again.

"No! Stop it! You cannot! You… cannot…" Zelda sobbed uncontrollably.

"Auuggh… it hurts… everything… hurts… where… are we…" The beast weakly muttered.

"Mom! Dad! I-I am so sorry! Thi-this is… all my fault…!"

"My… my daughter… is that… you…?" The beast asked, slowly approaching Zelda. She quickly looked up, surprised.

"Ahh, do you… do you remember me?! I knew that it was wrong to fight you…!"

"My precious… my sweet… my innocent… my **naïve** daughter!" The creature cried gleefully, stretching out one of its arms right at Zelda. Zukto and everyone else did not know how to react until it was too late. The creature's arm became razor-sharp, and it used its sharp appendage to stab right through Zelda. The Princess gasped, and fell immediately unconscious. When the creature retracted its arm, blood poured out of her wound. Zukto felt sick, but he knew that they could not help her until they dealt with the crazed spirit.

"We have to act fast!" Zukto declared. Suddenly, Nari appeared beside him.

"Zukto, combine your powers with mine!"

"Zukto, I shall lend you my powers as well." Wrath suddenly appeared beside Zukto as well. Nari and Wrath both focused a prayer, sending extra spiritual power to Zukto.

"This is for Zelda!" Zukto cried as he fired another arrow. With Nari's power, the arrow multiplied itself. With Wrath's power, the arrows pierced through the creature's body and drew out the impurities of its soul. An evil spirit was pinned against the back wall of the chamber by the arrows. Zukto used the power of the Scythe to expunge the evil spirit from their realm. When the spirit disappeared, two more spirits took its place. Everyone was still on edge.

"Please… Zukto… save her…!" One of the spirits pleaded. Without saying anything in response, Zukto dropped his weapon and fell to Zelda's side.

"Oh gods, please be okay… Princess, don't give up on us…" Zukto muttered, trying to remain calm. His palms were sweaty and he could not stop shaking, though.

 _Shit, what the hell can I even do?! She's here, dying, and I…_ Not sure of what else to do, Zukto instinctively clutched the pendant he was wearing. Before Zukto could do anything, Zelda coughed.

"P-Princess?!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, you miserable fool. The Princess is no longer with us." Her other personality smirked as she sat up. Within moments, blood stopped flowing from her wound.

"Y-you. The monster has been taken care of; we have no further need of you." Zukto gritted his teeth.

"Her condition is entirely your fault, boy. I am starting to think that it is counterproductive to our survival to remain with you. Without me, she would have been dead within minutes." Zelda stood up, glaring at Zukto. It made him feel sick to see how much blood was soaked through her clothes.

"You… there is something that has been bothering me. You aren't just a part of Zelda's personality, are you? You're an entirely different person." Zukto pointed out. Zelda looked surprised for a moment, but a wicked grin lit up her face.

"Have you finally figured it out?" She asked.

"Everyone! Stay back! This is the Demon King, Demise!" Impa declared as she suddenly appeared in front of them.

" _The_ Demon King Demise?!" Link looked horrified.

"Wh-who is Demon King Demise?" Zukto really did not like the direction in which their conversation was going.

"Why, I am the King of Demons; I am the source of all monsters in the world; I am your worst nightmare. I guess it's only natural that an outsider like you was ignorant of my existence… but some native Hylians know to fear my name." Zelda laughed maliciously.

"Impa, how is Princess Zelda also Demon King Demise?!" Link asked in a panic.

"We believed this whole time that Ganondorf used some kind of foreign magic to put the curse on Zelda. That curse gave birth to her other personality and her new powers… but I began to wonder, if that was indeed the case, why can the Princess herself not use those powers born of the curse? The answer then became clear to me that we were missing a vital element to this puzzle. The curse did not simply split Zelda's personality in two. What it really did was it transferred a portion of someone else's soul into her body. That soul was already evil to begin with, and it used Zelda's negative feelings as fuel to grow its own powers within her. That soul was of course the soul of the Demon King Demise." Impa looked grave.

"The wench is right; it took you worms long enough. But at any rate, I wanted to let you know that your discovery changes nothing. I will stop at nothing to make this land quake under my feet. This land is destined to be under my control." Zelda folded her arms confidently.

"I think you have your stars crossed, Demise. So far, we have met all of the challenges laid out before us and we will continue to be victorious." Kyoshiro stated. His voice was calm, but Zukto could see a fire in his friend's eyes.

"Things are different this time, mortals. I did fail before to take control of this land, but this girl is my new weapon."

"Why is Zelda so important anyway?" Zukto asked. He was hoping that Demise was willing to have a conversation with them.

"Heh, you worms really know nothing. Did it never occur to you why so many people throughout the history of your world looked the same? Why similar struggles over the Triforce repeatedly occurred? Why some names keep popping up over and over?"

"What exactly are you getting at?" Link asked.

"You… I know who you are. There is no mistaking that aura you have. You have the soul of the ancient Hero inside of you. How I long to just spill your blood right here and now…" Zelda sneered, looking straight at Link.

"Zukto, Kyoshiro, Link… certain souls in our world are repeatedly reborn. Those souls in particular are the souls of the ancient Sages, as well as Zelda's soul, Link's soul, and Demise's soul." Impa finally entered the conversation. She was trying to maintain her normal composure, but Zukto knew that having to talk face-to-face with Zelda's other half rattled her.

"But the reason they are continually reborn is in fact because of me. So long ago, I desired the power of the Triforce for myself. But that bitch, the Goddess Hylia, prevented me from obtaining it. She sealed it away with a very select group of people in an ancient place called Skyloft. She also sealed me away. But before she could seal me away, I fatally injured her. In order to save herself, she chose to have her soul reincarnated in the body of a mortal girl. That mortal girl was named Zelda." Zelda's face looked malevolent.

"The Goddess Hylia was reincarnated as someone named Zelda? So you're saying that the Zelda you inhabit now is also host to the soul of Hylia?!" Zukto had mixed emotions about this new development. He did not know much about Hylia, but it had to be a good thing that Zelda had part of her soul since Demise seemed to be angry about it.

"Well, not for long she won't be. I intend to wipe out Hylia's existence permanently. See, there is actually a very specific reason that Hylia chose to be reincarnated into the body of a mortal. The Triforce cannot be possessed by Gods, so she claims. The Triforce, the single most powerful artifact ever created, has the power to make any desires a reality. Hylia, the insufferable wench, feared Gods more than she did you war-mongering mortals. So she made it to where only mortal hands can possess the Triforce. She knew that I would be back to take what is rightfully mine. That is why she chose to rest inside of a mortal form so many millennia ago: she wanted to be able to use the Triforce against me.

Back then, I did not have a mortal to act as my champion. I was defeated by someone who looks exactly like the fool in green over there. Later, my soul was also reincarnated into the body of a mortal. You all know the man as Ganondorf. But even Ganondorf alone proved to be too weak to stand up against the combined might of Hylia's human girl and the soul of the great Hero. Ganondorf has been defeated several times, even sealed away. But because he has my soul, it is not that easy to be rid of him.

This time, I devised a new plan: I would rest in my vessel, Ganondorf, until Hylia's new vessel was born. When I found Hylia's vessel, I fully intended to make it my own vessel. And so far, my plan has progressed exactly as intended. Hylia's vessel, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, is my vessel as well. It is only a matter of time until I can claim the Triforce of Wisdom for myself."

"Ganondorf is really Demise, then… does that mean that you have abandoned Ganondorf?" Link asked.

"Of course not. Ganondorf, the bearer of the Triforce of Power, is still useful to me. No, I would not abandon him. In fact, most of my soul still resides within the Gerudo man. This girl only has a small piece of my soul inside of her. Because Hylia's soul is already here, I could only come to her as a fraction of my actual self. So the power that you have witnessed this girl use is only a small portion of my powers."

"But if Hylia's soul is within Zelda as well, that means that she also has Hylia's powers." Zukto pointed out.

"The girl is too weak. She does not understand how to wield our powers; neither mine, nor Hylia's. And that is why I have been able to destroy her memories bit by bit. In time, she will forget all of you. When that happens… I will finally be able to control her completely."

"S-so it is you who is responsible for the holes in her memory!"

"Well who else would it have been? You know, Kkladekk told Ganondorf to cast that magic on Zelda… but he only came up with that idea because of me. Most of the time, I had Ganondorf act like he was loyal to that fool. He does possess some power, but his power is nothing compared to mine in my true form. So one day, I just had Ganondorf let slip of my plan. Kkladekk instantly liked it." Zelda chuckled ominously.

"H-how long have you known my brother, Kkladekk I mean?"

"Oh right, you are the younger brother. Heh. Your brother is a right fool. He would have been better off staying at home on your world. You two would have been spared, at least. But of course, everyone else here…" Zelda's malicious grin grew even more.

"Demise, this is not over. You have given us a lot of information, you know."

"Ha! As if I did it purely for your benefit. You really are fools. For now, you feel like you have the upper hand. But what I enjoy more than anything is turning hope into despair. All of you will suffer by my hands: I promise you that. When the girl finally belongs to me... just remember this, Zukto: _My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end!_ " With that, Zelda's body went limp; Zukto caught her before she fell to the ground. For a few moments, a stunned silence prevailed over the group.

"We-We actually spoke to the Demon King Demise himself. Dear Goddesses, help us…" Link muttered, breaking the silence.

"I… I can't believe it… I actually just came to this conclusion earlier today… It's no wonder that the Princess has been so conflicted this whole time. Inside of her, two Gods are literally battling for control." Kyoshiro shook his head.

"Kyoshiro, your insight earlier was brilliant. You might be wishing that you had come to the conclusion sooner, but do not blame yourself." Wrath stated.

"Zukto, Kyoshiro, Link… I have to make a selfish request." Impa began finally.

"What is it, Master Impa?"

"Please, awaken Hylia's dormant soul within Zelda. If Hylia's soul does not awaken, it will not be able to fight off Demise. The way to awaken her soul is to suppress the influence of Demise's power. If just enough of his power can be suppressed, Hylia's powers will be enough to drive him away for good. We need Hylia's powers if we hope to defeat Kkladekk and Demise."

"We need to retrieve the next item. Everyone… return to Impa's house so you can rest. I will collect the artifact and join all of you. Master Impa, please take care of Zelda until I return." Zukto requested. Everyone nodded, and wordlessly filed out of the room.

When Zukto turned away from the door, he was surprised to see the two spirits still there.

"You… you are the real souls of Zelda's foster parents." He quietly observed.

"That foul creature that you fought before was indeed us… Kkladekk found us and twisted our souls into that hideous thing. That evil man, he has been after Zelda ever since the day she was born. We were tasked with protecting her." The woman spoke.

"Wh-what?! Tasked? Did… did the King of Hyrule… ask you to raise her?"

"Yes. The King of Hyrule needed the Princess to be raised in an environment that was away from the public eye. My husband and I had wanted a child of our own, but… well, things did not exactly work out for us. We went to the orphanage one day, and the King happened to visit it the same day. He pulled us aside, and said that he had an important job for us. That very same day, he gave us a baby girl. We knew from day one that she was the daughter of His Highness, and we also knew that one day she would have to return to the Royal Family. Despite that, we loved the girl as our own. But we had to hide her identity. To that end, we called her Azera."

"Azera! That's where she got that name!"

"When you first met her, she did not tell you her real name correct?"

"N-no. But so much has happened since… you can't really know…" Zukto sighed.

"You are wrong. We have been by her side this entire time. We have felt her pain, her loneliness, her confusion, her power… our daughter has certainly grown into a fearsome woman, one with more than enough ability to rule this Kingdom. But we know that she got attacked recently by the same man who murdered us. He is causing her an incredible amount of pain, and soon… soon, she will forget everything."

"You… you think so?" Zukto looked crestfallen.

"It is the inevitable outcome, since her powers cannot compete with his. Her teacher is right: the only way to save her is to invoke the powers of the Goddess Hylia. Zukto, can you save my daughter? I have been watching you as well, and I believe that the Princess can overcome this with your help. So please… fulfill our final wish… protect… our daughter… protect the Princess of Hyrule…" Slowly, the woman's voice faded away. The two spirits also faded.

"Thank you… thank you for telling me the truth. I swear to you that I will help her. Please, rest in peace…" Zukto sighed, feeling exhausted. When the spirits disappeared, another door revealed itself. Zukto went through the new door. He found a small altar in the secret chamber, along with a pair of gauntlets.

"I wonder what these things can do. They can't just be regular gauntlets… but anyway, this is not really important right now. I need to see how everyone else is holding up."

Zukto returned to the room where they had to fight the creature Kkladekk created.

 _I have to backtrack through the whole Temple, don't I? Ugh…_ Just as he thought that, Nari appeared.

"Zukto, you don't look well. Want me to take you out of here?"

"Ah, Nari… I would really appreciate that." Zukto nodded, relieved that she had remained with him. Using her powers, she teleported both of them out of the Temple.

When Zukto opened his eyes, he was standing in the Graveyard.

"Hey, thanks. I can walk the rest of the way." Zukto absentmindedly walked back to Impa's place. He had no idea what time it was since they had spent all of that time underground, but all he could think about was what Zelda's parents had told him. So Zelda had it wrong the whole time after all. The King did not get rid of her; he had her raised in a small village for her own protection. It seemed like such a simple answer, one that she should have been able to figure out for herself.

 _That grave we found in the Graveyard… that was fake, to trick my brother. The King knew my brother had his sights on the Princess, so he faked her death and buried someone to make it look like he was burying her; must have been some other baby who died. The trick must have thrown my brother off track, but clearly it did not work forever. What then got my brother's attention; what prompted Ganondorf's attack when Zelda was still a child?_

Zukto wordlessly entered Impa's house; it was quiet. He headed straight to the spare rooms, hoping to figure out where Zelda was. Everyone was huddled into one room.

"Hey." Zukto greeted them, though it was not particularly enthusiastic.

"You're back." Link remarked with a similar lack of enthusiasm.

"She hasn't woken up yet, I take it?" Zukto guessed.

"Correct. That wound was fatal, after all…" Impa sighed.

"But she's alive… right?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes, she is alive. Whenever she wakes up, though, I assume that she will be weak. She did lose a lot of blood. Her other self closed the wound, and eventually her body will replace all the blood she lost. But the process won't happen overnight. I shall watch over her for a while; the rest of you should get some rest. I know that you have been through a lot." Everyone took their leave at Impa's insistence.

"Let us know if she wakes up, okay?" Zukto asked before he left. Impa wordlessly sat down next to the bed where Zelda was resting.

All around her, Zelda could feel the wind whipping around. Her hair was flying everywhere, making it hard to see. She was sitting on something: something large and covered in feathers. She seemed to enjoy sitting on the back of this large bird.

Suddenly, another large, red bird flew into her field of vision; there was a teenage boy riding it. He looked back at her, and they laughed together.

She was spying through a window. She could see her father through the window, but there was also an evil-looking man with him. Zelda had a feeling that the other man meant her father harm, but she still had not been able to convince anyone of this. All of a sudden, someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned around, and was shocked to see a young boy there with her. The boy had snuck into the castle!

She was following a young boy into an underground passage. When they reached the center of the room, surrounded by beautiful stained glass murals, a dignified man joined them. The man used his magic on her, and told the boy that she was a descendent of a royal family.

She was running around a small town that was festive and lively. She and her friend, a young boy, stopped and talked to everyone. She played a carnival game, and won a shield. She gave it to the boy.

She was looking outside of her bedroom window. She could see many towers of her castle, but the sky was a strange color and she could tell that she was cut off from everything beyond the castle grounds; she could not leave. All of a sudden, something entered her room. It was a wolf, and a strange-looking imp. The imp purposely brought the wolf to see her. At first she kept her face obscured with her big hood, but she decided to show her face to her two strange guests.

 _So many… faces… do I know these people…? I feel like I do, and yet…_ Her whole body felt heavy.


	17. Memory Can Fail You

Zelda remained unconscious for several days. Everyone took turns watching over her and helping Impa around town.

 _I hope she's okay… I mean, she is still breathing, but… I just feel so worthless. Well, I bet everyone else does, too. We should have been able to prevent this from happening; I know that's what they're thinking. I don't know why this is bothering me so much… I just feel like, like she and I are finally coming to understand each other. I hadn't cared about that, about what other people thought about me, for a while… but now I am starting to remember what I figured out a long time ago: being alone sucks. And she had tried pushing people away just like I did. But I can tell that it was catching up to her. She doesn't want to live like that anymore. She and I can work on it together when she's better… when…_ Kyoshiro suddenly sat up straight, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu.

 _This feels so familiar._

Suddenly, Zelda stirred. Kyoshiro stood straight up, momentarily debating with himself about what to do. He decided to bring everyone here, knowing that they would get mad at him if he did not say anything about her waking up.

Zelda heard something get up and leave the room. When the door shut behind them, her eyes flew open. She quickly sat up, but groaned at the pain that shot through her torso.

 _Shit, what happened?_ She pressed a hand to her abdomen where the pain originated from.

 _Okay, I guess I got hurt. I do not remember what happened though, or how long ago it happened; Master Impa will probably know. Maybe I came back here after getting hurt and then blacked out or something. I should find her._ Zelda was trying to summon her strength to get out of bed when she heard voices.

 _Ah, Master Impa must have asked some villagers to look after me during the day. Maybe one of them was here before I woke up, and now they are bringing her here. Good, then I can speak to her._ Zelda decided to wait there for Master Impa. The door opened, and a small group of people filed through. Zelda was confused and put off at the sight of so many people. Luckily, Master Impa was one of the people to come through the door.

"Master Impa, thank you for looking after me. But who in the hell are these people?" Zelda looked angry. Everyone stood still, staring at the Princess in disbelief.

"Is anyone going to say anything? I asked a question. Why do you all have dumb looks on your faces? And Master Impa, how could you bring these people here?! I told you that strangers cannot see my face!" She sounded indignant.

"P-Princess Zelda, we aren't strangers. I am Zukto, this is Kyoshiro, this is Link…" Zukto began, hoping that this was some kind of joke.

"What did you…?! Master Impa! So you allow these strange men to see my face, and you _revealed my identity to them?!_ Without my permission?! What in Nayru's name were you thinking?!" Zelda practically jumped out of bed, but she doubled over in pain.

"Auugh! D-Do not touch me!" The Princess demanded as she supported herself against the wall with one hand. She was already out of breath.

"Princess Zelda, please return to bed. You are not well." Master Impa sternly requested.

"I… I may not be well… but you had no right… no right… to tell them… about me…" Zelda gasped, still standing.

 _So… it really happened; she forgot about us._ Zukto's entire body felt numb.

"Get… get out of here… I do not want to see any of you anymore. And you are forbidden to talk about my identity with _anyone_. My name is Azera to you; got it?" Zelda let herself slowly sit back down on the bed. It hurt to move even just a bit. She wanted to lie down, but she was not going to lie down until they left her alone.

"Everyone, please… could you give me a little time alone with her?" Impa quietly requested. Zelda's old partners solemnly nodded and left the room. Impa shut the door behind them, took a deep breath, and turned to face her student. Zelda had reverted to how she had been right after being attacked by Ganondorf.

Outside of the room, everyone else was at a loss.

"Demise did it; he blocked out all of the memories she has of us." Link observed, sighing.

"Starting from the very first day we met, all of her memories of the time we spent adventuring together are gone… the exact thing I was praying would not happen indeed came to pass. Oh Gods… if I ever needed guidance, now is definitely the time I would appreciate it the most." Zukto shook his head.

"So, are we done for?" Kyoshiro asked. Both Link and Zukto looked over at him.

"Well, that's what Demise wants. But we can't just let it end here. Not after we put in all that time, all that work…" Zukto sighed, clearly struggling to find the motivation he needed. He absentmindedly grabbed at the pendant again.

"Let's wait for Impa to come back; surely, she will talk to us. Perhaps she has some kind of a plan." Link suggested. Everyone nodded.

"Master Impa… why did you let those strangers in here?" Zelda was angry, but she was partly hoping that Impa had a _very_ good reason for disobeying her. Though Zelda respected her Master, this particular issue was a sore spot for her.

"My Princess, I beg your pardon: those men are no strangers."

"I have never seen any of them before: they are strangers. Even worse, why did you bring strangers to see me when I am clearly vulnerable? What if those people are working with Ganondorf?!"

"Your Highness, those men are not working with Ganondorf." Impa was answering Zelda with as little emotion as possible; it was how she always spoke to her. Zelda suspiciously narrowed her eyes.

"You are being calm, too calm in fact."

"Have you known me to be anything but calm, straight-to-the-point, and honest?"

"What are you hiding from me? You said you are honest, so prove it to me. How long have I been unconscious? What kind of injuries did I sustain? Why did you tell them about me without my consent?"

"Your Highness, you remember that I revealed to you who murdered your parents correct?"

"Yes."

"And you remember that I also told you that I received intelligence regarding Ganondorf's current location?"

"Yes."

"And you remember that after I revealed the intelligence to you, you immediately departed to find him?"

"Yes."

"You found him, I presume, and the two of you got into an altercation. I found you outside of town in really bad shape: you had a head wound, as well as one in your abdomen. The wound in your abdomen was particularly bad. You have been resting her for a week." Impa explained, pretending that all of the events involving Zukto and the others had never happened.

"I see. It is true: I do not remember anything after the fight I had with Ganondorf. Okay. Thank you for bringing me up to speed. But my other question remains: why did you reveal my identity to those people?"

"I asked the Goddesses for guidance. They told me about those three travelers, and they believed that all of you should work together. The three are already travel companions and trust each other greatly."

"The Goddesses want me to join _them_? Why in Nayru's name would I join three strange guys? One of them is not even a Hylian." Zelda remarked.

"Oh, you noticed that one of them is not a Hylian? Why is that even important?" Impa raised an eyebrow sternly. Zelda shrunk a bit at her Master's disapproving expression.

"Do not misunderstand me, Master. I just mean that I will not instantly trust them. You should know by now that my trust is not so easily earned."

"I suppose that yes, I should have expected as much."

"Anyway, remember that I do not wish to be seen without my cloak. Do not bring anyone to see me here without asking me first."

"Yes, of course. I understand that you do not want to scare anyone. But don't you remember when those men were in here with you? Did they act scared or uneasy in your presence?" She asked. Zelda carefully thought back to when everyone had filed into the room at first. They had seemed concerned, but not scared.

"N-no, I guess they were not scared or anything."

 _Why did they seem so concerned, anyway? They did not know me, I did not know them… it seems rather odd. It almost seems like they all actually knew me. One of them even was trying to 'get me to remember them.' I am trying, but none of their faces mean anything to me._ Impa could see that Zelda was deep in thought.

"You still need to recover. But remember what I said: the Goddesses want you to cooperate with that group of guys. Try not to scare them off, okay?" Impa gave that warning, though she knew full well that Zukto would not leave Zelda's side no matter what the circumstance was.

"Fine, whatever. Just do not let them come in here." Zelda looked annoyed.

"I cannot stay here all day to watch you. You understand that I am a busy woman. _They_ will take turns watching you." Impa sternly declared before leaving Zelda to fume by herself.

Impa knew that Zelda was in a bad mood, the worst mood she had seen her in for quite some time, but it was likely due to Demise's influence. They needed to do their best to curb his influence. Impa went to find everyone after leaving Zelda. They had not gone far, and seemed relieved to see her.

"Master Impa, how is she?" Zukto asked.

"She still needs to recover. But about her memory loss… she remembers that she and Ganondorf fought. That's where her memory ends, I believe. She asked me how she got injured. I lied to her, and told her that Ganondorf caused those injuries. Furthermore, she asked me why I allowed you to see her like that. I lied again, and told her that I spoke to the Goddesses. In the made up conversation, the Goddesses told me that you all had to work together; which, luckily, is not far from the truth anyway.

She did not outwardly protest it too much, but she is very likely going to act hostile towards you. I told her that you three would watch over her during the day when I am busy. Maybe the best thing to do for now is to only approach her one at a time. She will be more suspicious of you if all of you try to talk to her at once. Oh, and Zukto, watch out for her. When I spoke with her privately, she immediately pointed out to me that you were not a Hylian so therefore she did not want to trust you." Impa sighed.

"Wow, she caught on that quick huh?" Zukto ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, by the way… I believe that I should point something out to you. I know that, during your travels, you uncovered certain truths regarding her condition. But Zelda has lost knowledge of all of the discoveries you made. Therefore, she believes once again that she was born with her scar, eyes, and hair. You would do well to remember that." With that, Impa disappeared. Everyone looked nervously at one another.

"So, um… we probably should avoid talking about her appearance." Zukto pointed out.

"Yeah, I kind of think we… we also ought to avoid talking about our travels in any way that alludes to the fact that _she_ was with us. She will just get mad at us for making stuff up." Kyoshiro looked disappointed.

"And most importantly, we have to be patient with her. She is already mad at us because she feels like we should not know about her true identity. And she will likely be impatient with us while we are trying to interact with her. But we have to win back her trust, right? We can't get her to trust us if we are always distancing ourselves." Link pointed out. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, now the thing we need to figure out is: who is going to approach her first?" Kyoshiro asked.

"She already is wary of me, so I guess I should wait until later." Zukto sighed. He desperately wanted to speak with her. Unfortunately, though, because of the shape she was currently in, he could not reveal to her the truth behind her being raised in Kakariko Village. It was going to be hard for him to watch her, knowing the reason for why her life started the way it did and yet being unable to tell her.

"How about you, Kyoshiro? She knew you for as long as she knew Zukto. I just wouldn't feel right taking time away from you when I joined your group later." Link explained. Kyoshiro smiled slightly.

"Thanks, man. I'll come find you guys later." Kyoshiro returned to her room, pausing at the door before entering. He knocked, and waited. It took a minute, but he heard her from behind the door.

"You may enter."

At first Zelda looked put off about her visitor, but she did not say anything. Kyoshiro slowly approached her and sat down in a chair that was positioned not too far from her bed.

"You don't trust me, I take it?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Of course not. I have no idea who you are; I have no idea what your motives are. What I cannot figure out is why Master Impa seems to trust you. Are you an old friend of hers, perchance? But that cannot be, as you seem barely older than I am." Zelda looked at him cautiously.

"Here, will this help?" Kyoshiro stood up and removed his sheathed sword from his body. He walked towards the door and laid his sheathe with the sword still inside on the floor. He returned to her bedside.

"There. I have no weapons on me now." He stated plainly. Zelda still seemed to be watching him carefully, but perhaps this guy did not mean to kill her at least.

"I still do not trust you. But I guess I should recognize that you are trying to even the playing field. Hey, you are a Hylian right?" She suddenly asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Where are you from?"

"Hyrule Castle Town."

"Oh, I see. What is your occupation?"

"I worked as a bounty hunter for a while, but I am kind of taking a break from that. Someone gave me a specific job to do, and so far I have been too busy to return to the headquarters."

"A bounty hunter, hm? But what is so important that is keeping you from returning to your work?"

"I made a promise to someone that I would help him."

"…Did you make a promise with those other guys?"

"Yes. We are all supporting each other."

"One of those guys is not a Hylian."

"Yeah, that's Zukto. He's our leader, actually. At first I thought he was annoying to be honest, but now that I look back on when we first met… I was the most annoying out of all of us. I think maybe I was jealous of him, but I have no reason to be. We are all risking our lives out there, so that makes us equals."

"The not-Hylian is your leader?"

"Sure, why not?"

"How did you guys meet?"

"He found us."

"Found you? That is an odd choice of words."

"Nah. He had heard about us and was told that he needed us."

"Heard about you? Needed you?"

"Goddess Din appeared to him in a dream. She explained to him that Hyrule's in trouble, but that he could save it if he got our help."

"Excuse me; you want me to believe that Goddess Din appeared to a foreigner in a dream? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"The Goddesses know more than any of us, so who am I to question them?" Kyoshiro shrugged. Zelda grew quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"Where is he from?"

"Ask him yourself."

"Why will you not tell me? Is it because you do not know?"

"No, I know. And you used to." Kyoshiro grunted. Zelda looked taken aback.

"What did you just say?"

"N-nothing. Anyway, I am serious. Ask him yourself. You can see him whenever you want. Want me to get him right now?"

"No. Stay here for now. I am not done talking to you." Kyoshiro shook his head when she said that, but he had to admit that their conversation was already proceeding better than he assumed it would.

"What are you doing, exactly?" She questioned.

"I think maybe that is a conversation better saved for when you are talking to Zukto."

"Right, he is your leader. If you will not talk about that, then tell me about other stuff. Keep talking." Zelda seemed to want to get as much information out of them as she could manage. What her endgame was, though, was not obvious.

"About what?" Kyoshiro looked incredulous.

"Yourself."

"No way. I don't need to volunteer information about myself; this is not some kind of interrogation."

"You know about me. It is only fair." Zelda looked at him expectantly.

"What if I only know your name?"

"That… I refuse to believe that. The way all of you were looking at me… you know something." Zelda closed her eyes, still sitting up in bed. She seemed to be contemplating something.

"Tch, fine. Even though we've already…" Kyoshiro muttered. She shot him a look.

"Don't mind me; was muttering to myself. I grew up in an orphanage." Her face immediately softened.

"Can you remind me of your name?"

"Kyoshiro."

"Kyoshiro. Did you know who your birth parents were?"

"No."

"Did you ever get adopted?"

"Yes, but not until I was a teenager."

"Do you still live with your foster family, or at least keep in touch with them?"

 _God, she sure is asking a lot of questions. Is this how she decides whether or not to like someone? It is kind of odd: she did not ask this many questions about me when we first met. Something seems a bit off about this…_

"Why are you asking me so many personal questions?"

"Like I said, it is only fair."

"You sure seemed to keep your distance before." Kyoshiro muttered. Zelda narrowed her eyes a bit at him.

"Why did you say 'before?'" One of her eyebrows was raised questioningly. Kyoshiro wanted to stall for a bit.

"Hey, um, do you need something? Water?" He blurted out. The Princess looked annoyed at his diversion.

"Sure." She responded curtly. Kyoshiro quickly excused himself from the room to get some water. He returned with a glass and a full pitcher. He began to pour some water for her while she watched him carefully.

"You… you remind me of someone." She observed quietly. Kyoshiro quickly looked over at her, wondering if she was going to remember something.

"I do? Who do I remind you of?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but… ah! Kyoshiro! You are getting water on the floor!" Zelda reprimanded him, shaking her head.

"Ah, crap…" Kyoshiro sighed, setting the pitcher down on the side table. He was in a hurry and knocked the full glass of water over when he bumped it with the pitcher. The glass spilled its contents on Kyoshiro before hitting the floor; luckily it did not break.

 _Wow, she probably thinks I'm a total idiot right now._ Kyoshiro fumed.

"Sit tight, I'll clean this up." Kyoshiro left again to get her a clean glass and a towel so he could wipe up the floor. When he returned, Zelda opted to pour water for herself while he cleaned the floor.

 _A pitcher full of water… a glass rolling around on the ground… why does this feel so familiar?_ Kyoshiro looked thoughtful.

"What is with that look all of a sudden? Are you spacing out?" Zelda seemed impatient with him.

"S-sorry, I just… you said before that I remind you of someone. Well, _this whole situation_ is reminding me of something." Kyoshiro muttered. Zelda cocked her head slightly out of curiosity.

"It was… a clinic… I… I was recovering from an injury; just like you are now. Someone was with me." Recognition was growing in his eyes. Zelda was mildly curious, so she stayed quiet in the hopes that he would continue speaking out loud.

"A girl! That's right, a girl was watching me. She was so strange, too. She loved to read. And she was so proper. I tried to make her angry one time by making a mess and knocking stuff over, but she shrugged it off like it was nothing." Kyoshiro felt like he was close to remembering something important.

"I can't remember the girl's name, but… when I got better, we went outside together and…" Kyoshiro concentrated as much as he could on that day. Suddenly, everything came surging back to him. When the girl left the clinic, Impa had left with her. Kyoshiro's eyes grew wide with shock.

 _Impa was there that day! And she took the girl with her! No way… did I actually meet Zelda five years ago?!_

"Wh-what is it, Kyoshiro? You are acting quite strange." Kyoshiro suddenly got closer to Zelda and gripped her shoulders. This gesture surprised and confused her.

"Kyoshiro! What in Nayru's name…?"

"Zelda, tell me. Did you spend some time at a clinic in Hyrule Castle Town five years ago?!"

"A clinic…? In Hyrule Castle Town…? I… aaahhh!" Zelda suddenly flinched, pushed Kyoshiro away from her, and held her head in her hands.

"Princess! What's wrong?" Kyoshiro felt nervous about her sudden outburst.

"It hurts… it hurts when…" Zelda's head shot back up and she leered at Kyoshiro.

"You know something about this, am I correct? And stop calling me by my title; you should not even know about that. I never would have told you."

"N-no, I don't know anything. And sorry, but it's kind of a reflex. I call you Princess out of respect. 'Cause, you know, a commoner like me should use your title."

"Just call me Azera; that title is meaningless. And I do not believe you; you are hiding something." Zelda snapped.

"A-Azera, look, I am here to help. All of us are here to help."

"What could you possibly do for me?"

"I cannot say right now. I think it'd be better for you to observe us for a while and come to a conclusion on your own."

"Hmph. Bring me a book." Zelda tersely requested.

"Your wish is my command." Kyoshiro excused himself again and returned with a stack of books.

"You like to read, right? I wasn't sure what your favorite kind of book was, so I just brought several." Kyoshiro explained. Zelda eyed him cautiously.

"I knew it: you know me. How long have you known me?" Zelda seemed like she was not going to accept any attempts to avoid the subject. Kyoshiro sighed.

"Look, I actually forgot about this myself for the longest time. You can believe me or not, I don't really care either way. But I got badly injured five years ago. When I was recovering from my injuries, a teenage girl was helping me. That girl was you." Kyoshiro crossed his arms, expecting some kind of objection. Zelda stared at him, too surprised to say anything.

"I… helped you? Five years ago?"

"Yes."

"I… I apologize, Kyoshiro, but I do not remember you at all. I do not remember helping anyone at a clinic. Are you sure it was me? What proof do you have?"

"Impa was with you. I kind of get this feeling that Impa has not had too many students during your lifetime." When Kyoshiro pointed that out, Zelda fell silent. He had a point: Impa had only one student the entire time they had known each other.

"I apologize again for not remembering you. It is clear to me that you are doing well, which is a good thing. How have you been, since then?" Zelda's expression suddenly seemed friendlier than it had been the entire time they were talking.

"Well, you know. My relationship with my foster parents is terrible. And I've lost a friend recently."

"Oh, you… lost a friend?"

"Yeah. I hope I didn't lose her forever. We were just starting to get along, and then… well, I want to spare you the details." Kyoshiro looked exhausted. Zelda looked a bit uncomfortable.

 _This is a nice change, instead of her acting all high and mighty. It is disconcerting, though, that her attitude can change so quickly; makes it hard to keep up. I wonder if that other personality, Hylia, is still inside of Zelda. We know how to draw out Demise, but can we draw out Hylia in a similar way? Would Hylia take control of Zelda's body?_

"You know, I… I honestly cannot remember your face. But… talking to you feels familiar; like we are old friends or something." Zelda explained.

"I have no problem with us being friends. You know, since you helped me out five years ago. And right now, I'll even return the favor. You helped me back then, so I can help you out now. Deal?"

"D-deal. You know, if Master Impa was with me back then that must mean that Master remembers what happened five years ago. She must have remembered you after all this time. Perhaps that is why she trusts you."

"I never thought about it that way; you might be right about that. Anyway, would you like some peace and quiet while you read?"

"I… sure." Zelda said hesitantly. Kyoshiro thought that she was about to say something further, but she did not. Shrugging, he walked back to the door. Before leaving, he retrieved his sword and sheathe.

"Just make sure to rest." He said over his shoulder.

Kyoshiro went to find Zukto and Link. They were in the living room of Impa's house, talking quietly. Both of them looked up at Kyoshiro in surprise when they noticed him.

"I think she wants some space for now. We can sit out here and just keep an eye on her room to make sure that she does not try to escape." He explained as he sat down next to Link.

"So, um, how did it go?" Zukto asked.

"It wasn't that bad, to be honest. She got kind of hostile once or twice, but she kept asking all of these questions. It was weird, because when you and I first met Zelda she barely cared about us. Didn't really ask questions, remember? But it was like a game of twenty questions back there. I'd answer one and she'd have another question ready to go already."

"What was she asking about?"

"She asked me a few questions about myself, like where I was from and what my job was. Then she asked about us as a group, like what we were doing. I can't really figure out if she was asking questions because she is trying to size us up or what. I suggest that you guys be ready for her to bombard you with questions. Especially you, Zukto." Kyoshiro looked over at him sympathetically.

"Wh-why me?"

"I told her that you are our leader. And she knows that you are not Hylian, so she will probably grill you about where you come from." He chuckled.

"I guess that means she won't bother me too much, since I am Hylian." Link chuckled too.

"But Link, you have the Triforce of Courage. She will probably notice it the second you two are alone together. And then she'll go crazy because she loves legends and the Goddesses and whatever else." Kyoshiro rolled his eyes, imagining her reaction.

"Well, for now perhaps we should take it as a good sign that she is willing to talk and ask questions. But Kyoshiro, did you say anything that might have changed how she felt about you? I am kind of surprised that you did not storm out of there or anything. I assumed that she would be a lot more hostile."

"I assumed that too, the way she reacted at first. But while I was in there with her, I remembered something. I remembered that I actually met Zelda five years ago." When Kyoshiro said that, Zukto's eyes widened.

"N-no way, you too?!"

"Wait, what do you mean by that? Are you telling me that you also met the Princess before?" Kyoshiro asked incredulously.

"Y-yeah. How did you meet her?"

"I got really injured five years ago. I told you that before, right? Well when I was recovering in Castle Town, a girl got assigned to me as a sort of personal nurse. That girl was Zelda."

"W-wow! That is some coincidence. How do you know it was her?"

"Well her mannerisms, now that I am thinking back… they really remind me of her. The other thing though is more concrete evidence: Impa was with the girl."

"If Impa was with the girl, then I'm with you. I have no doubt that you really did meet her five years ago. Isn't fate strange?"

"Yeah, I guess that's one way of putting it. Oh, yeah… I can picture the girl clearly in my mind: her eyes were blue, and her hair was blonde. No marking on her face." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"Okay, so we know for sure now that her face changed because of Demise." Zukto looked pleased with this development.

"So what about you? You said you met her too?" Kyoshiro looked intrigued.

"Yeah. Though I suspect that my contact with her was not quite as much as what you had. When I was training with Nabooru, I almost never left the Desert. But I remember that once, she asked me to run to Kakariko Village. Since that was my first time out of the Desert, I got lost. I was wandering around Hyrule Field, trying to figure out where the Village was. It was late at night, so it was dark.

All of a sudden, I noticed a girl wandering outside by herself. I approached her to ask for directions. I asked her where the Village was, and she told me that she was already headed there so I could follow her. Well, I was curious as to why a girl like her was wandering around outside in the dead of night so I started asking her questions. She told me that she was running away from home."

"Running away from home? Anything else? I mean, that could have been anyone." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"She told me that she was running to Kakariko Village because her mentor lived there. The girl told me that she had been training with her mentor for six years already, and that she cared about her mentor more than anyone else."

"… Wow, that seems so obvious now. Yeah, it had to have been Zelda. Who else could it have been?" Kyoshiro shook his head.

"When did Princess Zelda begin training with Master Impa?" Link asked.

"When she was ten years old; right after Ganondorf murdered her foster parents."

"So if she told you that she had been training for six years, you met her when she was sixteen. How long ago was that?" Link questioned.

"Four years ago; I was twenty one at the time."

"So I guess I met her first." Kyoshiro looked oddly smug about that.

"And Zukto, I actually have yet to ask you about this. I can see that you do not have long ears like me and Kyoshiro. Why is that?"

"Ah yeah, you know, I forgot that I told Zelda and Kyoshiro about this before we met you. Link, I am not from Hyrule."

"Not from Hyrule? Then where did you come from?" Link looked amazed.

"I was born in a place known as Charcai. Zelda heard about it before, of course, because she has access to obscure books that normal people don't."

"How did you come to Hyrule?"

"This is the truly interesting part of the story; at least I think so. One day, eight years ago, I simply found myself in the middle of the Gerudo Desert. To this day, I still do not know by what power I came to Hyrule."

"That is incredible! You just found yourself here… I guess that explains why you spent so much time in the Desert: since it was your point of entry, it felt more familiar than anywhere else." Link observed.

"At first, I took it really hard. I was suddenly dumped in a strange place with no warning and of course I could not speak your languages. But Master Nabooru, as fate would have it, found me and took me into her tribe."

"The Gods certainly willed you to meet her. Although, I am curious about that: surely, the Gerudo speak their own native tongue? Why do you speak Hylian, as opposed to the language spoken by the Gerudo?"

"The Gerudo are multi-lingual. They speak their native tongue, of course, but they also speak Hylian. I think Master Nabooru was concerned with my ability to communicate beyond the Desert, so she had everyone speak Hylian around me. And that was just as well: learning Hylian was enough of a struggle for me. Trying to learn the Gerudo's language on top of that may have been too tall of an order for me." Zukto laughed.

"Well, I suppose if you ever want to learn their native language Nabooru and Zelda could help." Link chuckled.

"The thought never occurred to me… I mean it would be interesting I guess, but I feel like at this point it wouldn't serve much purpose. Master Nabooru and I already can talk with each other just fine."

Unbeknownst to the three friends, Zelda had quietly let herself out of her room and had been listening to their entire conversation.

 _I knew it! They know me! They just so easily talked about me. They know about my foster parents, when they were murdered, how long I have been training with Master Impa… and apparently they know stuff about me that I do not even know. As far as I can remember, my face has always looked like this. But they are saying that I grew up with blonde hair and blue eyes? Just how do they know so much? And that guy, Zukto… he is not even from Hyrule at all. Who are these people? I should keep a close eye on them._

"We still need to figure out how we will proceed while dealing with our current situation. Will we continue on without her help?" Kyoshiro asked.

"I… I haven't quite decided yet. Perhaps we ought to discuss—" Zukto began.

 _Oh, crap! I need to cough. I cannot let them hear me!_ Zelda tried to endure it, but she could not hold off the feeling for long. She coughed, and then groaned because she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Everyone was startled by the sudden cough, and they were shocked when they figured out that the cough came from Zelda.

"Princess Zelda! Why are you there on the ground?! Are you okay?" Zukto immediately ran to her side.

"I—I told you to call me Azera. And I am… fine." Zelda sighed, holding her abdomen.

"Did you need something? Why did you leave your room?" Kyoshiro asked as he joined them.

"I do not want to be left out." Zelda stated. Everyone exchanged glances.

"Okay, then come over here." Zukto carefully helped Zelda stand and then walked her over to where they had been sitting.

"Go ahead and sit." Zukto suggested to her. She sat down, wincing a bit.

"Our group is trying to figure out our next move." He explained to her, sitting down next to her.

"Well, she just said that she does not want to be left out. So then… I take it that you want to come with us?" Link asked.

"Remind me of your names, please. I remember Kyoshiro." She requested.

"I am Link. That is Zukto." Link nodded towards Zukto. Zelda looked back at Zukto.

 _Zukto, their leader…_

"Wait… I can sense something here: something very powerful." Zelda observed. At first Zukto, Kyoshiro, and Link looked perplexed at her observation. After a moment's pause, Link offered Zelda his left hand.

"What about now? Is this what you were sensing?" He asked. Zelda cautiously moved one of her hands close to his. At first, she did not know why he offered his hand to her. But when their hands were close together, the Triforce on the back of her hand lit up. The Triforce on Link's hand also lit up.

"Ah! This is what I could sense, yes. So, Link, you possess the Triforce of Courage?" Zelda asked, clearly surprised. She heard them mention before that Link possessed the Triforce of Courage, but actually seeing it for herself was much more convincing.

"So what do you think? Can you trust us, Prin—I mean Azera? After all, the Goddesses always intended for Courage and Wisdom to work together." Link smiled lightly. Zelda looked thoughtful.

"I have to admit that I value my Master's opinion, and the fact that she trusts you is somewhat compelling. But I am still unsure."

"Is there anything wrong?" Zukto asked.

"Well, I am still concerned about the fact that you three seem to know an awful lot about me."

"So the only thing we can do is let you learn about us." Kyoshiro nodded.

"We can't really go anywhere right now, not when the Prin—I mean, not when Azera is in the condition that she is in. For now, we need to focus on helping her recover. Gathering more information would be helpful too." Zukto pointed out.

"Gathering information about what?" Zelda asked. She considered herself quite proficient at gathering information.

"Princ—I mean, Azera, do you know what the Darkness Orb is?" Zukto asked. Zelda furrowed her brow in concentration.

"Darkness Orb… Darkness Orb… it seems kind of familiar to me, but I have to admit that nothing concrete is coming to mind. Since I cannot go very far, at least not by my own power… can I ask you for a favor? Can you three escort me to my home in Castle Town? We have a great library, and I am hoping that I will be able to find some information about the Darkness Orb there. For now, this is all I can do for the team." Zelda looked at them expectantly. Zukto felt relieved.

"You are willing to help us, then? I really appreciate it." He smiled.

"Well, Master Impa said that the Goddesses already decided that I have to team up with you. Like Kyoshiro said before, who are we to question them? I shall join forces with you for now, but that does not mean that I trust you."

"Fair enough. We shall escort you home. By the way, about your father—" Zukto began.

"What about him?!" Zelda snapped.

"Azera, please do not get impatient with me. Your father is going to want to see you, since he has not seen you in a while."

"H-how do you know that?!" Zelda looked concerned.

"Master Impa told us." Kyoshiro quickly stepped in.

"I… see. Anyway, I suppose that you are right: he will definitely want to see me. Ugh, speaking to him always infuriates me…" Zelda muttered, looking away from them.

"If you wish, we can accompany you." Link offered.

"Sure, I guess. My father will probably wish to meet you three."

"You are probably right about that. The King of Hyrule will definitely be wondering about us, if we walk right up to the castle with you in tow." Zukto chuckled a bit, playing along. Naturally, the King already knew them.

"So, when do we leave?" Zelda asked.

"How about tomorrow? Spend the rest of the day resting. We will get everything ready for tomorrow morning so that we can head out as soon as the sun is up." Kyoshiro offered.

"Okay. I shall leave it to you, then. Feel free to come get me when you are going to eat." Zelda slowly stood up, pressing a hand to her abdomen.

"I am honestly surprised that he did not kill me." Zelda suddenly stated. Everyone looked over at her, startled.

"A-azera?"

"Oh, right. You do not know what the origins of my injuries are. Master Impa said that my injuries were caused by Ganondorf." She was wrong, of course, but everyone had to force themselves to act surprised.

"Ganondorf?! You mean the leader of the Gerudo?" Link asked.

"Correct."

"Why in Din's name were you fighting Ganondorf?" Kyoshiro asked.

"You said earlier that Ganondorf killed my parents. Sorry, I have to admit that I was eavesdropping. I have been haunted by the memory of finding my foster parents dead in our house for years now. When I figured out who was responsible, I could not just ignore him. Ganondorf must pay with his life for what he did!" Zelda gritted her teeth.

"You thought that you could defeat the Great King of Evil all by yourself?" Kyoshiro asked, looking concerned. Zelda abruptly turned to Kyoshiro, looking both insulted and ashamed.

"You have no idea what I am capable of." She said defensively.

"Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. But that isn't the issue here. I am not questioning your abilities. However, I _am_ questioning your judgment. The Great King of Evil has done some terrible stuff in the past, and his powers are incredible. Typically, not even the legendary Hero himself was able to defeat the Great King without help. So… what makes you think that you can single-handedly kill Ganondorf?" Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow. Zelda was taken aback.

"I… I have no choice. No one understands how much pain I am in. It does not matter to me how hopeless it seems: I must defeat Ganondorf. And I should tell you that you will not be able to dissuade me." She folded her arms in defiance.

"Azera, can you please promise me that you will not do anything reckless by yourself?" Zukto sighed.

"Wh-what does it matter to you?"

"Master Impa is concerned about you, you know? She asked us to look after you."

"Hmph." Was the only acknowledgement Zukto got from Zelda.

"Feel free to rest. We will start working on dinner, right?" Zukto asked Link and Kyoshiro. They nodded. Zukto leaned in and whispered to Link, telling him that he needed a minute to take care of something. Kyoshiro and Link left Zukto and Zelda in the living room.

"Would you like assistance getting back to your room?" Zukto asked. Zelda looked like she was debating something with herself.

"Whatever you are going to do, take me with you." She requested, not making eye contact. Zukto raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, I guess." Zukto offered his hand to her and slowly guided her to one of the spare rooms. He sat her down on the bed while he sat down at a desk. Zukto had a feeling that she was going to start asking questions, so he opted to answer them before she could start.

"I am writing a letter to your father to announce our arrival ahead of time. It is always better to give your host advance warning, if possible." He explained. It was true that Zukto wanted to write to the King, but Zukto's main concern was to explain to the King that Zelda's memories had been severely tampered with. They could hopefully avoid touchy subjects if the King knew the situation before meeting with them.

"I see. I can understand that."

While Zukto wrote the letter, explaining her injury and memory loss, Zelda was silent. When he finished the letter and started to roll it up, Zelda went on the offensive.

"Are you really from Charcai?" Zukto had been focusing on writing the letter, and she had been quiet, so her sudden question startled him.

"Ah, sorry, I was focusing. Yes, I am from Charcai."

"You expect me to believe that you just randomly found yourself in the Desert?"

"Masters Impa and Nabooru believe me." Zukto said softly. Zelda frowned a bit.

"Speak in Charcaian." Zelda requested. Zukto raised an eyebrow, but decided to play along.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess Zelda. My name is Zukto." Zukto slowly said. Zelda seemed to concentrate for a minute before opening her mouth to speak.

"Zukto, I told you not to call me by that title." She responded in Zukto's native language.

"Oh, so you even know my language too." Zukto remarked, chuckling a bit, still speaking in Charcaian.

"Of course. I am the bearer of the Triforce of the Wisdom, as you know. Learning languages is easy for me." Zelda explained.

"May I ask why you decided to study my language?"

"At first, I discovered a book about Charcai by chance. I had not really known about your homeland before. But I was intrigued by what I read. As luck would have it, we had a book about your language as well as an old dictionary. In my spare time, I studied it. I did not really think that I would ever be able to use it, though."

"Lucky you for meeting someone else who speaks it." Zukto chuckled.

"Is it really a matter of luck? The Goddesses probably willed me to find that book, and it is probably thanks to them that you are here."

"I understand that your Goddesses have a hand in guiding certain events… but do you believe that they have the time and energy to influence even small things like that?" Zukto asked. Zelda looked confused.

"What are you saying?"

"I believe that life has no meaning if someone else is always determining everything for you. And I do not really believe that the Goddesses can influence _everything_ done by everyone. There are too many people here, and few Goddesses in comparison." Zukto pointed out.

"How could you know the difference then? I mean, how could you know when the Goddesses are guiding you and when they are not?"

"Does it matter? Wouldn't it be more exciting if you thought that they weren't at all?" Zukto asked, wondering if all Hylians were raised to believe that nothing could happen without the Goddesses' approval. Zelda fell quiet for a moment.

"By the way, you speak my language quite well."

"I suppose that I could say the same thing to you." Zelda countered.

"So that makes us even." Zukto laughed quietly.

"Hey, Zukto… do you not believe in our Goddesses?" Zelda switched back to Hylian.

"I never said that. I have already met Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore for myself. And I recognize their power, but where I come from we don't really have any deities. I grew up only believing in the strength and agency of other mortals. When I came to your Kingdom eight years ago, though, I discovered that there are really beings out there with incredible power that surpasses mortal comprehension." Noticing that Zelda started speaking Hylian, Zukto switched languages as well.

"I see, I guess I never considered that your world would be so different from ours."

"This is really a unique place, as far as I can tell. I've heard your creation myth before, but could you remind me of it?" Zukto requested.

"Oh, s-sure. They say that the Goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru created the world we now live in. Goddess Din used her powerful, flaming arms to carve out mountains, valleys, and the rest of our geography. Goddess Nayru poured her soul into the sky, establishing natural laws as well as morals that would be used to create human laws. Goddess Farore is the one who created the souls of the beings who would uphold the laws created by Nayru. When the three of them completed their work, they returned to the heavens. As they left the mortal realm behind, they left a golden relic with us as a memento of their power. Each piece of the Triforce that was left with us mortals symbolizes the power of each Goddess." Zelda recited.

"That is really something, that they created your world _and_ left behind such a powerful artifact. Do you know why they left the Triforce here?"

"I… you know, I do not remember reading about that in any of my books. That is an interesting question…" Zelda looked lost in thought. As she appeared to ponder the question, Zukto suddenly remembered the conversation they had with Demise.

"Oh! Is it because only mortals can possess the pieces of the Triforce?" He asked. Zelda was astonished.

"Only mortals can possess the Triforce? I have never heard anything like that, but then again, I also have never heard of anyone besides a mortal possessing the Triforce. Maybe it is true that only mortals can use it. If that is the case, then it would explain why the Golden Goddesses left us with the Triforce. It would do no good to leave it in a realm inaccessible to humans." Zelda seemed really invested in their conversation now.

"Do you know who Hylia is?" Zukto asked. Zelda looked at him curiously.

"Well, yes, I have read a bit about Goddess Hylia. But why do you ask?"

"Oh, um, it's because we were already talking about legends and gods. Talking about her is a natural extension of the topic, correct?"

"I suppose that you have a point; although, there is honestly very little information about Hylia. Supposedly she helped the legendary hero defeat Demise centuries ago, but there are not any contemporary stories about her."

"So out of the gods, Hylia is the most mysterious one?"

"Y-yes, you could say that."

"Ah, sorry, here we are talking while Kyoshiro and Link are trying to figure out dinner. Shall we join them? They probably need help." Zukto looked a little embarrassed for not remembering, but it did not show on his face for long.

"Hey… if I want to talk to you about something, can I speak in Charcaian?" Zelda asked.

"Sure, I guess." Zukto had not expected her to ask that. It made him happy though, because no one else could understand them.

"Okay, let us find your friends then." Zelda took a moment to catch her breath after standing up out of bed; she was still in pain.

"Do you need help getting around, Azera?"

"Yes, please. This is so annoying, honestly. I hate asking for help, but I cannot remember ever being in so much pain before. What in Nayru's name happened to me?" Zelda sighed. Zukto felt a bit uneasy, and he really wanted to make some kind of a gesture to let her know that she would be safe with him. Because of her memory issues, though, Zukto was afraid of being too forward.

"If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to ask me."

"S-sure."

 _He is probably only acting like that because he hopes to get something from me. I bet all three of them were just delighted to figure out that I am the Princess. After all, they can claim to be all heroic and noble by bringing me back home. And then they can demand recompense from my father. Hmph. I need to keep an eye on them._

"There you guys are." Link chuckled when he noticed Zukto helping Zelda sit down at the table.

"I was writing a letter to His Majesty, announcing our arrival. I feel like things will be much easier if he is expecting us." Zukto explained.

"Fair enough. That's why you're our leader." Link chuckled again.

"What're we making?" Zukto asked as he joined his friends in the kitchen.

"Reekfish Soup. We have fresh pumpkin, fresh fish, and then we have goat cheese to add to it." Kyoshiro explained.

"Let me prepare the fish." Zukto offered. Zelda looked on, amused at the scene she was witnessing. Traditionally, making meals was seen as a feminine responsibility. Despite this, three fully-grown men were dicing pumpkin, filleting fish, creating soup stock, and preparing bread dough right in front of her.

 _It must be because they are all bachelors. None of them are wearing any rings, nor have they mentioned anything in the way of having their own families. I guess necessity really is the father of invention._

"Hey, we should roast these pumpkin seeds. They keep for a long time, so we can take them with us." Link pointed out.

"Good call." Kyoshiro muttered as he kneaded dough.

Zelda had brought a book with her, so she decided to look through it. Dinner would still be a while, and she did not want to distract them too much. The book was titled _Hyrule Historia_.

 _Interesting… this book's timeline is so detailed. It has an account of our creation myth; it mentions that the Triforce was left behind by the Golden Goddesses; here it says that Hylia was tasked with protecting our world and the Triforce… but it does not say anywhere why the Goddesses left the Triforce with us. Zukto's idea is certainly something I ought to consider, namely that Gods themselves cannot wield the Triforce. But why is that? Why would the very beings who created the Triforce be unable to use it? Is the Triforce somehow connected to human nature? Is there something about us mortals that the Gods do not possess? Or were the Gods afraid of each other? I may possess Wisdom, but this is one question that has an answer which is not so easily discerned. I suppose that I could try meeting with the Golden Goddesses, but I should prepare myself for the possibility that they will not answer my question directly._

"What are you reading?" Zukto called over to Zelda from the kitchen. She looked up with a start and laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, sorry, I was focusing. The tome is titled _Hyrule Historia_."

" _Hyrule Historia_? That sounds like an impressive book."

"It is. This book contains the single most accurate timeline of this ancient land that has ever been compiled. Either the scholar who researched our history was the greatest genius to ever live, or…" Zelda trailed off, wondering how one man could have possibly written such a book.

The front door opened, bringing everyone's attention to the front room. Impa strolled into view, looking surprised.

"Wow, the last thing I expected when I walked through the front door of my own house was the delicious smell." She smiled.

"Ah, Master Impa. We weren't really sure where you were, so we figured that we could just start prepping dinner ourselves." Zukto was stirring the pot of soup.

"You three certainly are resourceful. Princess, do not take them for granted." Impa chuckled to herself as she joined the three men in the kitchen.

"May I?" She asked Zukto, hoping to taste test what they were making. She brought the spoon up to her lips with some broth, gently blowing on it before sipping.

"Hm… the vegetables in the broth are still a bit overpowering. Try some more of the goat cheese." She suggested. Kyoshiro grabbed a wheel of cheese and cut another block off of it to add to the soup.

"Reekfish Soup, hm?" Impa observed.

"I haven't had something like this in a while, actually." Kyoshiro muttered, mostly to himself.

"Admittedly, Reekfish is not something that ordinary people get a chance to eat often. After all, this type of fish is prized by the Zora. A couple of people in my village have permission to fish in Zora's Domain, which is why I had some. I suspect though that the Royal Family eats Reekfish more often." Impa pointed out. Zelda nodded her head slightly, but did not say anything.

"I have never had this before, personally. And actually, it was a surprise to me when I was preparing the fish: it really does smell!" Zukto laughed.

"Ah yeah, it makes sense that you didn't know about this species before." Link nodded.

"At this point, I think the soup just needs to simmer." Impa suggested.

"And the bread needs a little more time in the oven." Kyoshiro added.

"Master Impa, I wanted to let you know that we are departing tomorrow morning." Zelda stated. Impa looked surprised.

"Princess Zelda, are you the one who asked to leave town? Surely none of them suggested that you leave in your condition?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Correct, I am the one who suggested we leave. But do not worry: I understand perfectly that I am not well enough yet to do anything. That is why they are escorting me home." She explained. Impa was especially surprised to hear that.

"Princess, you want to go home?"

"D-do not misunderstand me! I figured that I should return home because my father has excellent healers and then I can have access to the library. Zukto said that we needed to gather some more information, and right now reading books is the only way I can help them."

"I am pleased to hear that you are willing to work with them."

"Willing is an interesting choice of words. You are the one who told me that the Goddesses want me to work with them. I obviously cannot defy _them_." Zelda looked annoyed. Link, Zukto, and Kyoshiro glanced at each other worriedly.

"Besides the fact that you are going to assume the throne in due time, I believe that joining their team is one of the most important things you will need to do." Impa declared. Zelda scowled.

"Yeah, right, ascend to the throne. Nobody has a clue that I even exist." She snapped.

"You are the one who is exacerbating the problem. When you found out that these three knew about you, your attitude could have been gracious but instead you lost your temper with them and demanded that they call you by a fake name." Impa countered. Zelda rolled her eyes.

"My father forbids his servants from talking about my identity. These three are not special, so why should I treat them differently? And that name is not made up: my mother called me that." Zelda was not amused.

"You believe that no one will respect you because you have lived so many years without being officially recognized as His Highness' first daughter. That is not the issue here. The reason why no one will respect you is because you have been _so focused on yourself_ for the last ten years!" Impa shouted, surprising everyone.

"H-how dare you! Master, I respect you; you know that. But how could you insult me to my face like that?!"

"I am trying to open your eyes! You have forgotten my teachings!"

"Tch, you really expect me to sit here while you say whatever you want? My injuries be damned: I am leaving." Zelda abruptly stood up, winced, and started to leave. No one said anything, and Zelda did not make eye contact with Impa as she walked past her. They heard a door open and shut.

"I'll go check on her." Zukto quietly said as he ran after her. Impa sighed deeply and slumped down into a chair, looking weary.

"Demise certainly has changed her. It is painful for me to see her like that: she used to be much more compassionate."

"… Master Impa… do you remember me?" Kyoshiro suddenly asked. Impa looked over at him, puzzled.

"Remember you? Why would you ask something like that suddenly?"

"… Sorry, yeah, I brought it up abruptly. But I met Zelda five years ago. Do you remember taking Zelda to a clinic in Castle Town?" Kyoshiro asked. Impa thought carefully for a moment, and clearly remembered something.

"Dear Gods, the patient she looked after back then… it was you." Impa smiled knowingly.

"So it's true then… I just recently remembered the incident myself. I could barely remember the girl, but I distinctly remember that you came by the clinic on the day I was getting released. You would not have been there for any reason except to take her back to the Village I figure."

"You sure have grown." Impa remarked.

"A-ah, I guess. It's so funny to me now, realizing that my personal nurse back then was really the crown Princess. How many people can claim that?" Kyoshiro chuckled.

"If you remember that she helped you, does that mean that you can see what she used to look like?"

"Y-yeah."

"Perhaps one day, her face can go back to normal. I get the feeling that she would prefer to have blonde hair and blue eyes again, because her current appearance seems to cause her distress."

Zukto knocked on the door.

"Go away." Zelda snapped from the other side.

"Can we talk?" Zukto requested. There was a moment of silence.

"Fine, whatever."

Zukto let himself into the room and quietly shut the door.

"Why… why are you always the one?" Zelda questioned. Zukto stopped short, surprised by her question.

"What do you mean?"

"When I first awoke, you were the first one to say anything… you are the one to come after me after the fight; why do you care? Why do you keep trying to get into situations when we are alone?" She was being cautious.

"Look, Zelda, you are a valuable part of our team. Oh, and I will remind you that last time we were alone, you invited yourself along." Zukto pointed out. Zelda narrowed her eyes.

"Valuable part of your team? How can that be, if we met for the first time today? And why do you keep—"

"Do you remember what I said to you when you first woke up?" Zukto asked, running a hand through his hair. He was purposely ignoring her insistence to use her other name. Zelda thought back to several hours earlier and looked at Zukto with a start.

"Y-you said that you three were not strangers. Does… does that mean… that we all used to travel together?" Zelda looked down at the ground.

"Yes. All of us traveled together."

"But… I cannot remember any of you. When could we possibly have…?" Zelda looked concerned.

"You see, it's… I just can't keep this up. Zelda, your memory is fading."

"Wh-what? How do you know?" Her face turned pale.

"Can you remember when you met Kyoshiro five years ago? How about when you and I met four years ago?"

"N-no; not at all."

"Those isolated incidents aren't the only things you cannot remember. You met me and Kyoshiro for a second time just a while ago. After that, we traveled together. While we were traveling, we met Link and a few others. But you cannot remember any of that, can you?"

"I… can you really be telling the truth? What is happening to me, if what you are saying is true?"

"The three of us originally thought that we shouldn't bring this up around you because you wouldn't believe us. Or that it might distress you. But you are too analytical, too perceptive. I know that before long, you would pick up on small little comments and come to some kind of conclusion on your own. So there you have it… we know so much about you because you are already important to us. We all struggled, fought dangerous creatures, and overcame challenges together. But then…" Zukto looked pensive.

 _He said that… I am important to them?_

"W-wait… Zukto… if we traveled together… then…" Zelda hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Zukto asked, concerned.

"… You were there. You were there when I got these injuries." Zelda voice dropped to a whisper, as if she was mostly saying it to herself. Zukto sighed.

"Yes. All of us were there."

"I remember being attacked by Ganondorf… but that was a lie, I bet. When I got attacked by Ganondorf, and this recent injury, they are separate incidents."

"See, this is exactly what I mean: you are too perceptive. It's true. You did get attacked by Ganondorf, but that attack happened _before_ we started traveling together. This other incident happened while we were together. I believe that you lost your memories because of this recent injury." Zukto lied, still wanting to avoid the topic of Demise.

"I… I see…" Zelda fell silent.

"It really bothered me when we figured out that you couldn't remember us… but that's not what is important right now. What's important is that you are recovering, and we can still travel together. We will just lay low for a while, come up with a plan… hopefully you will want to stay with us when you get better." Zukto reached out and squeezed Zelda's hand. She blushed slightly.

"Z-Zukto… what are you to me?" She suddenly asked. Zukto blushed this time, letting go of her hand and looking away from her.

"I'm… nobody. You're the Princess, and I am just your bodyguard." Zukto muttered. It was the truth, no matter how he wished that it was not.

… _He just completely shut down on me. This is exactly why… why I hate that stupid title. Everyone who knows who I am distances themselves from me. What I would give to not be the stupid Princess. I want people to actually notice me, to laugh with me, to…_

"Why… why did you just… you completely changed just now." Zelda looked disappointed. Zukto was surprised at her reaction.

 _That is weird; she seems upset over what I said. What, was she expecting something?_

"Your memories are still gone. Some people would accuse me of trying to take advantage of you while you are like this. I want to make it known that I have zero interest in taking advantage of you. If you want to talk about _us_ , I will not agree to it until your memories return." Zukto firmly stated. Zelda looked thoughtful.

"Okay then. I understand where you are coming from. But do you promise then that you will answer my questions once my memories have returned?"

"Once your memories return, we can talk about anything you want." Zukto nodded.

"But, you know… I do not appreciate being treated differently. I am not some fragile young girl. I am a fully-grown woman who is no stranger to hardship. Admittedly, I am scared about losing my memories. There are probably some things which I would prefer to forget about for the rest of my life. Even so, I realize that I need to get my memories back. I can see it in your face: we have been through a lot together. Kyoshiro said that we were friends. Friends are precious, is that not correct?" Zelda asked expectantly. Zukto stared at her in amazement briefly, but smiled softly.

"Yes. Friends are extremely precious."

"So please… do not talk as if I am some exalted being and you are my servant. It hurts, you know, when everyone tries to distance themselves from you." Zelda explained, looking melancholy.

"… I apologize, Zel—I mean Azera. I did not realize that I was causing you distress."

"It… it is okay… if you call me Zelda. That name means something to you, right? That is why you just automatically refer to me by that name. Azera does not mean anything to anyone, except me; I recognize that. I kept thinking that if I forced everyone to call me Azera, I could honor my late mother and father. But… that sounds pretty stupid, I admit. Such a petty thing cannot honor my mother and father."

"It is apparent though that you loved them. That is enough for them."

"I hope you are right about that… I just… I hate that I will never see them again. So much has happened since they were killed; I wish I could speak to them. I have all of these doubts, worries, fears… my mother would surely listen to my problems."

"What about Master Impa?" Zukto asked quietly. Zelda temporarily froze.

"… You are absolutely right. Master Impa has always been here for me. I used to run away from home just to come see her… ah, but you already know about that." Zelda looked miserable.

"Hey, Zelda, it's okay. How about we go see everyone? You can apologize to Master Impa. I know that she'll be happy to see you."

"O-okay. You are right. I feel ashamed for losing my patience with her. Hopefully she can forgive me."

"I know she will. Don't worry about it. Here." Zukto held out his hand. Zelda took it and slowly stood up, looking up at him.

"Zukto, I have to say that there is something I admire about you. I may bear the Triforce of Wisdom, and with it I tend to be analytical and rational, but I can admit that I have been letting my emotions control me. You, on the other hand, just have this calm aura about you. When faced with a difficult situation, you can so quickly and intuitively face it. I can see why the others respect you. I hope that I respected you, before I lost my memories…" Zelda sighed.

"You never actually told me that before…" Zukto blushed slightly.

"Well, now I did." Zelda avoided eye contact with him.

"Thank you, Zelda. I'll try to live up to your expectations. Now let's go see everyone. Dinner might even be ready soon." Zukto, still holding onto her hand, guided her back to the dining area. Zelda blushed as they walked, but she did not let go of his hand. She noticed how warm it was.

 _It is so strange to see her being so frank, so open, so… friendly? She definitely was not like this before. I am getting so many mixed signals here. What does she really think about us, about me? Before, when she would get angry and impatient, was that Demise's influence? Or what I'm experiencing now, is this thanks to Hylia's influence? Do I actually know who the real Zelda is at all? Part of me is afraid that all of these different mood swings are a sign that Zelda is barely in control of herself. It seems like she's at the mercy of the Gods who control her. I wish that these Gods would just leave her alone._ Zukto felt uneasy.

 _Zukto… Zukto… I cannot remember him, but I feel so at ease with him. I have this feeling that he would risk almost anything to protect me. To have such a great friend, but not being able to remember him… he must be angry with me. I would probably be angry too if someone whom I cared about, like Master Impa, suddenly forgot about me._

 _Please just be patient with me, everyone… I will try my hardest to get my memories back. These precious memories of my dear friends… I have nothing else to be happy about. I hate myself for forgetting them. The memories I have left… they are so empty and miserable. But I suppose… in the meantime… I could try to make new memories?_ She looked up at Zukto and blushed again.

"Hey everyone, here we are. Is everything okay?" Zukto smiled at Kyoshiro, Link, and Impa, who were all conversing at the table. They smiled back. Zukto let go of Zelda's hand.

"Princess, I—" Impa began.

"No, Master, allow me. I apologize for my outburst earlier. It was quite inappropriate of me to lash out at you like that. You have valuable insight which I cannot take for granted. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me…" Zelda bowed respectfully.

"Princess, please come here." Impa was smiling as she stood up. Zelda approached her teacher and the two of them embraced.

"Apology accepted my student. I am so proud of you."

"D-do not give me all the credit. It was thanks to Zukto that I could face you after acting so shamefully."

"Zukto may have suggested to you that apologizing was the correct thing to do, but ultimately the decision was yours to make. I am happy that you made this choice. Now that this is out of the way, how about we enjoy a nice meal together?" Impa suggested as she ended their embrace. Zelda nodded.

"Sit down please, everyone; I will serve you." Zukto offered. He ran into the kitchen and began ladling soup into bowls. First he brought out two bowls, one each for Impa and Zelda, and then he brought out bowls for Link and Kyoshiro. Next he cut the loaf of bread into slices, and set a platter of the sliced bread in the center of the table. Finally, he poured a glass of water for everyone. Zukto served himself some soup and joined everyone else at the table, sitting next to Zelda. She nodded at him when he sat down.

"What do you think of Hylian fare, by the way?" Link asked, laughing when he remembered Zukto's comment earlier about the smell of Reekfish.

"Well, I have to admit that my diet when I stayed in the Desert was rather bland; bland, but not without merit. I worked really hard when I lived among the Gerudo, so I needed a lot of protein to keep up my strength. We raised cows for milk and meat, so I ate a lot of beef. But this soup is pretty good. I'm glad that it doesn't taste as bad as it smells." Zukto chuckled. Kyoshiro sniggered too.

"I hate pumpkin by itself, but the goat cheese and the Reekfish do a good job of making the soup not taste pumpkin-y." Kyoshiro observed.

"Pumpkins are good for you anyway, Kyoshiro." Link pointed out. Kyoshiro rolled his eyes.

"Okay, mom."

"I think that's Kyo's favorite phrase." Zukto laughed.

"And you, back to calling me Kyo are we?!" Kyoshiro scowled.

"Hey, the name's got spunk: just like you do." Link chuckled.

"You guys are lucky that your names are already short. If they weren't, I would definitely shorten them to make a dumb nickname for you." Kyoshiro pouted. Zelda watched their banter in amazement.

 _They act like they are brothers! I thought they were partners, friends even, but they are so comfortable with each other. I do not think that mere friendship accurately describes the relationship that they have. It must be nice to have friends so close… would I talk to them like this before? Or…_ Zelda hesitated.

"It is fortuitous for your parents that you were all born separately. You are quite the handful now: I cannot imagine what you three must have been like as kids." Impa joked, laughing too. Zukto was surprised by Impa's comment, but he welcomed it.

"Master, you only say that because you didn't have any kids yourself." Zukto retorted.

"Not true, Zukto. I may not have given birth to any children, but I consider Zelda to be my daughter. After all, who raised her for half of her life? Who taught her how to fight?" Impa pointed out.

"Zelda, something about you tells me that you were a troublemaker." Link observed, not wanting to leave her out. Zelda looked taken aback.

"Aah, well…" She blushed, not knowing how to respond.

"What? Her? A troublemaker? She is too busy being stuffy and proper for that." Kyoshiro muttered.

 _Wow, did I really act so different around them? There seem to be different ideas about me floating around._

"What about you, Zukto?" Link asked.

"What about me? What's the question?"

"What do you think about our Princess?"

"Well, I don't know if troublemaker is the right word. She is curious. Her innate desire for knowledge and learning might have driven her to make some questionable decisions before, but that's what youth is for right?" Zukto shrugged. Zelda marveled at Zukto's maturity and how easily he said stuff that made you think.

"… Honestly, the Princess did not make questionable decisions while she was growing up. It was not until she met her true father that she…" Impa trailed off, looking serious. Everyone fell silent, watching the Sage of Shadow carefully.

"I admit that I may have a rebellious streak, but… the main problem is that I have no respect for my so-called 'true father.' You know me, Master. If I respect someone, I would do anything for them. But he has not done anything to earn my respect, so I do not concern myself with him." Zelda explained, getting defensive.

"And yet, you are returning home tomorrow?"

"I have some research to do. Father will understand." Zelda was avoiding Impa's gaze.

"Princess, with all due respect… you already understand what it is like to feel regret over not being able to speak to family anymore. Stop for a moment and ask yourself: if your true family suddenly disappeared, would you feel absolutely no regret over how you have been treating them?" Impa asked pointedly. Zelda fell silent. Zukto came to a realization as he watched the two of them: the way Impa could ask a question that pierced through your very soul—that made you stare face-to-face with your own shortcomings—it was the same way that he had felt at times when talking to Zelda.

Zelda and Impa were quite similar to each other. If one questioned the validity of the saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then one would only have to refer to Zelda and Impa to confirm its merit.

What Impa said also had an impact on Kyoshiro.

"… Master Impa, you have honestly given me something to think about." He admitted. Impa looked over at him, intrigued.

"Have I now?"

"Hey, guys, while we are staying at the Castle… let's go… see my foster parents." Kyoshiro requested, looking embarrassed. Everyone was surprised at his request.

"Of course we can see them. Do you want us to come with you, or do you need to do this alone?" Zukto asked.

"Come with me, please. I honestly don't think I can face them on my own yet. I mean, the last time I saw them I… ugh, this sucks." Kyoshiro sighed.

"Hey, no worries. You have nothing to worry about because we'll be there with you." Link reassured him.

"This will just be awkward as hell. I can tell." Kyoshiro groaned.

"But initial awkwardness might just turn into something better." Zukto beamed. Zelda quietly watched them again.

 _It seems like I still have a lot to learn. Kyoshiro just so easily made up his mind to do something that he has been avoiding. Maybe this is a sign telling me to get over myself._

Everyone finished their meal after some more idle chatter. Since everyone else cooked, Impa offered to clean the dishes. Zukto wanted to send the letter he wrote towards Castle Town, so he asked Impa if she had any small birds who could deliver messages. Impa told him that she only had a hawk, and in order to get its attention you had to blow on a special charm she owned.

Zukto was outside of Impa's house, nervously staring at the charm. He had never been close to a hawk before and was not sure what to expect. Despite his misgivings, he blew into the charm. After a few seconds, he could swear that he heard the heavy beating of wings. The hawk swooped right up to him, but had to keep beating its wings to stay in the air. Zukto stared at the hawk in amazement for a minute, not sure how to react. Suddenly, the door behind him opened. Zukto hurriedly looked over his shoulder, and noticed that Zelda was there!

"A-ah! Princess! What brings you out here?" He asked hurriedly. Zelda quietly walked up to Zukto and held out her right arm. The hawk quickly grabbed onto her arm.

"Princess! What are you—?!" Zukto was a bit freaked out to see the hawk perching on her.

"What are you so worked up about? We trained him, you know." Zelda gently scratched underneath the bird's beak.

"S-sorry, I have never had a big bird like this get so close…" Zukto felt a little silly in comparison to Zelda. After all, she was calm and had an impressive creature resting on her.

"So, you wanted to send something right? Go ahead and tie it on." Zelda directed.

"R-right." Zukto tied the letter around one of the hawk's legs.

"Hyrule Castle." Zelda directed as she threw up the arm on which the hawk had been perched. With a powerful flap of its wings, it soared back into the sky and flew towards Castle Town.

"We should probably call it a night soon. We leave first thing in the morning, correct?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah. Rest well, Zelda." Zukto held the door open for her and waited for her to enter before he followed. For some reason, he felt like this trip to the Castle would be a turning point in their adventure.


	18. An Emotional Reunion

Zelda could not tell where she was. She could hear wind around her, so she assumed that she was outside. But something was weighing her down. She could hear voices somewhat nearby; they sounded relieved. Anger surged through her like nothing she had experienced before. Her rage gave her new strength, strength which allowed her to overcome whatever was holding her down. She burst into the sky, levitating above the ground. Her breathing was ragged, but she had power to spare. She looked down at the owners of the voices she heard before: it was Link and a different Zelda.

"We are not finished, Hero. Draw your blade!" She declared before allowing another surge of power to flow throughout her body. She could feel the power changing her form, making her many times her initial size.

"You must be careful! Ganondorf invoked the magic of the Triforce of Power to transform!" The other Zelda warned Link. Suddenly, a ring of fire separated Zelda and Link. They were distressed, but Zelda felt immense satisfaction to be facing off one-on-one against Link. She would not fail to kill him.

She was surrounded on all sides by ethereal-looking beings. They were drawling on and on about something, boring her to tears. One of them stated that her punishment was to be death. She tried to struggle, but noticed that her arms were bound by thick chains. One of the strange beings summoned a magical sword, and ran her through with it. She blacked out for just mere seconds, before coming to again. Grinning maliciously, she stared at the beings who thought they could so easily defeat her. The sword they had used to run her through was still stuck in her chest, but she could barely feel it. Summoning her anger and the magic of the Triforce of Power, she was able to completely break free of her restraints. Without a moment's hesitation, she wrenched the blade out of the wound in her chest and rushed at one of the stupid bastards who ordered her execution. She easily killed him, laughing at the pathetic way the other beings cowered in her presence.

With powerful strides, Zelda was galloping around a destroyed throne room. There was a small wolf trying to fight her, aided only by a tiny imp girl. Zelda smirked with confidence as she summoned another one of her magical portals. She was going to disappear and then reappear directly behind the wolf, not giving it enough time to defend itself.

She unleashed a shockwave of energy from her body; the atmosphere around her responded violently. Out of nowhere, strikes of lightning pierced the battlefield. Her opponent was many times smaller than her, clad in a green tunic. Though he was much smaller than she was, his eyes burned with a ferocity that she had never seen before in a human.

Her vision went black.

 _My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end!_

Zelda's eyes flew open in a panic. Her heart throbbed in her chest and ears, and she noticed that she had been sweating. She was alone in one of Impa's guest rooms.

"What in Nayru's… I was dreaming from _Ganondorf's_ perspective?!" Zelda's mouth felt dry. She slowly sat up, looking around the dark room.

 _How… how… how could I have a dream where_ _ **I**_ _am Ganondorf?! He and I are nothing alike! He and I… are…_ Zelda felt overwhelmed, and could not prevent tears from pricking at her eyes.

 _Ugh, I hate crying. It is so stupid. But the fact that I get mad at myself for crying usually just makes me cry more. Emotions like this are so pointless. But seriously, that dream was… I cannot tell anyone about it. They are already concerned enough about me, and it is not like they can control my dreams anyway. I just pray that I will not have that dream again…_ Zelda decided not to sleep anymore. She turned on a lamp and pulled out a book, content to read by herself.

Quite some time passed before her attention was diverted by a knock on her door.

"Y-you may enter." She called, setting the book down. The door opened, and Zukto appeared in the entry way.

 _Zukto again…_

"H-hey, you are already awake?" Zukto remarked, approaching her. When he got closer, he could see in her face that she was tired. Had she been up most of the night again?

"I wake up early." Zelda lied, not wanting to risk mentioning her dream.

"Anyway, do you need to take care of anything before we head over to Castle Town?" Zukto knew that she was prone to nightmares, and would not have been surprised if she had told him about one. She seemed to not want to talk about it, though, so he did not broach the topic further.

"No, I am fine. We can leave as soon as everyone is ready."

"How is your injury? Are you feeling better at all?"

"Well, I am still in pain if I move too much. That cannot really be helped, though."

"Speaking of moving, we are traveling by horseback. But with your injury, I do not believe that it is a good idea for you to actually ride a horse. So I asked Impa if she would take you to Castle Town in a stagecoach. The three of us, I mean Link, Kyoshiro, and myself, will flank you." Zukto explained.

"Alright. I trust your judgment."

"Feel free to join us when you are ready." Zukto made to leave.

"H-hey, wait." Zelda blurted out. Zukto turned back to look at her, curious about the outburst.

"What, do you need something?"

"What do you think of my eyes and my scar? I have been told before that they are quite frightening." Zelda looked at him expectantly, wondering how he would respond. Zukto chuckled a bit to himself, and began speaking in Charcaian to throw her off.

"Sometimes, yes, your eyes can be frightening when you get angry. But when you smile and laugh, your face lights up. Your scar is pretty obvious at times, but it can also easily hide under your dark hair. Really, I don't spend too much time thinking about how your face is 'different' compared to other Hylians. I honestly find you to be very attractive." Zukto smiled at her and left the room before she could respond. Zelda watched him, speechless.

 _Th-that was so bold of him! How am I supposed to respond to something like that?!_ Blushing, Zelda forced herself to get out of bed.

 _No one has ever said something like that to me before. Maybe he actually listened yesterday when I said that I do not like it when people distance themselves from me. I suppose that I could… get used to stuff like that._ She blushed some more.

"Ugh, no, I need to focus; I have an important job to do." Zelda quickly glanced through a book, trying to get rid of her blush. After a couple of minutes, she felt like she was ready to leave. She entered the living room but did not see anyone.

 _Hm, are they already outside?_

Just as she was contemplating whether to head outside, one of the guest room doors opened. Kyoshiro stumbled out, looking half asleep.

"O-oh, good morning. I thought everyone already went outside." Zelda remarked.

"They did." Kyoshiro grumbled.

"You… are not much of a morning person, are you?" Zelda looked at him sympathetically.

"I just like to sleep." Kyoshiro explained, yawning a bit.

 _I wish I could sleep like he does. He must be one of those people who are dead to the world while they sleep._

"Anyway, shall we?" Zelda headed outside, Kyoshiro following behind.

Zukto was helping Impa prepare the coach.

"I have never messed with one of these things, let alone seen one up close!" Zukto exclaimed, sounding oddly enthusiastic. The coach looked like a commoner's, which suited Zelda just fine. She did not want to attract attention as they drove up to Castle Town. Impa finished putting a bridle on her horse before approaching Zelda.

"Make sure you speak to your Father, and try not to get so angry with him." Impa instructed. Zelda was not exactly looking forward to seeing him, but she was going to try to follow Impa's advice at least.

"Y-yes."

"Remember that you need to do something besides read all day. Take breaks, go for walks." She continued. Zelda nodded, though she furrowed her brow. Impa sometimes acted like an overprotective mother cucco, which was an interesting revelation.

Other people in the village were beginning their daily chores, and some of them looked over towards Impa's yard with curiosity. Not too far away, a few villagers were talking.

"You know what? I think something's strange."

"What's strange?"

"Remember that sweet girl who used to live here? Azera? You know the one, the one whose parents were murdered…"

"Yeah, of course I remember her. She was such a young thing when they were killed."

"I have not seen her once for at least a couple of months now. In the past, you could not keep her away from Impa for even an hour if you tried."

"You know, you are right about that. Wonder what happened to her."

Zelda gritted her teeth when she overheard their conversation.

"Speaking of Impa, don't you see…?"

Zelda tried to focus on something else besides their conversation. They were gossiping about her even though she was standing within eyesight of them and certainly within ear shot.

 _They do not realize… that I am actually the girl they are talking about._ Zelda sighed. It was natural that they did not recognize her: according to Kyoshiro's memory, she had blonde hair and blue eyes five years ago. But now, she had dark hair and red eyes. Not wanting to attract any more attention, Zelda threw her large cloak on and covered her face with her hood.

Zukto looked over at her, surprised to see her wearing it for the first time in a while. It made sense, since they were headed towards a busy city. Even so, he preferred it when she was not so conscious about her face.

Zukto helped Zelda get comfortable in the coach. The hood of the coach was pulled back since the weather was fair. Impa was already seated on the box, her back towards Zelda. Seeing that Impa was ready, Link, Zukto, and Kyoshiro all mounted their horses.

"Lead the way, Master Impa. We will follow after you until we hit Hyrule Field." Zukto nodded at the Sage, who directed her horse to head out of town. Some of the villagers watched the procession with curiosity, since Impa was among them. Everyone stayed quiet while they were still within ear shot of the villagers.

Once the group had left town, Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro all flanked the coach. Kyoshiro lead the way, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Zukto brought up the rear, wanting to stay close to Zelda. Link trotted his horse around the coach's perimeter, alternating sides.

Zelda, noticing that Zukto was behind her, turned her back to Impa to face him.

"You left so suddenly after answering my question." Zelda pointed out, speaking in Charcaian. Impa and Link, who were closest, realized that Zelda was not speaking Hylian.

"You said you wanted to set out first thing for Castle Town." Zukto countered, unable to hold back a smile because he realized that she was serious when she mentioned wanting to speak Charcaian with him.

"Were you afraid of how I would react?"

"I have no reason to be afraid of something like that. You wanted to know what my opinion was, so I told you the truth." Zukto chuckled. He thought that it was too bad that she was hiding her face, because he very much wanted to see it while he talked with her.

"You are too forward."

"Is that what you really think? Or is that what society told you to say? Are you going to tell every man who crosses your path that he is 'too forward?'" Zukto was having a lot of fun teasing her; he felt like they could be more frank with each other when no one else could understand them.

"What I tell other men is entirely my business."

"Naturally. But my, my, Princess, you sure are getting defensive. I wonder why that is?" Zukto grinned.

"It is because you are lacking in propriety!"

"I guess I need to remind you that my comment before was not unsolicited. I can see you reacting that way if I had just started speaking so boldly of my own accord. But you asked. Would you have preferred if I lied to you? Besides, propriety means different things to different people. I was not raised as a Hylian. Even though I have lived in Hyrule for a while now, I should point out that social norms according to the Gerudo are fairly different than the standards you grew up with." Zukto pointed out.

"In what way are they so different?" Zelda sounded genuinely curious, as if the thought had not occurred to her before.

"Well, it is acceptable among the Gerudo to openly and frankly compliment one another."

"Even members of the opposite sex?"

"Of course."

"What is the acceptable response if someone does suddenly compliment you?"

"That depends on the person. Usually the response was a smile or a wave or even a compliment in return. No one was ever bothered by it because they were already friends. Perhaps the situation would have been different if more outsiders were there."

"Did they flirt with you?"

"Yeah, after I had been there for about a year and I was actually able to understand basic comments in Hylian." Zukto laughed.

"How did it make you feel when they flirted with you?"

"I thought it was flattering; you know, something to boost my self-esteem. But really, I saw the ladies in the tribe as my sisters. I love them like family; I did not really think much of the compliments beyond what you would think if your own mother complimented your hair, for example."

"I see. But that is odd, I have read that Gerudo women often take mates from other races specifically because the Gerudo themselves do not give birth to boys often. Are you suggesting that none of the Gerudo women you knew had relations with a man?"

"That's… actually, now that you mention it, I did think it odd that none of them had boyfriends. The entire time I worked with Master Nabooru, I did not see a single man in the Desert."

"That must have been so awful for you." Zelda sarcastically observed.

"Well, it was strange. I had never encountered anything like that before, a tribe made up entirely of women. But we all worked well together, so at this point I just consider it an invaluable experience. I certainly learned a lot."

"Perhaps Master Nabooru ordered them to not bring men into the Fortress."

"Why would she do that?" Zukto asked incredulously.

"Because of you."

"W-what?"

"She was training you. She probably worried that if there were a whole bunch of guys coming and going, they would corrupt you."

"You have got to be kidding."

"Not quite. Training with a Sage is not unlike training to become a knight. There is a certain culture that you have to adhere to."

"A certain culture?"

"For example, having relations with anyone is a distraction that would interfere with your focus and studies. Did it not cross your mind the reason as to why both Masters Impa and Nabooru are without families?"

"Hm, yeah, I guess you have a point."

"But they still have to have families because their bloodlines are incredibly important. They must have children and pass down the responsibility of being a Sage to their next of kin. I believe they are only allowed to begin having families of their own when they have accomplished so many of their duties as Sage. Same thing with us, actually: as students of Sages, we are to refrain from engaging in certain behaviors until we have completed enough of our training."

"Is that part of the reason why you have not yet taken a husband?" Zukto asked.

"Yes. Although I am an exception, I suppose. It is my duty to take a husband so that I may have a child of my own. Arguably, my duty to produce an heir for the Hylian Royal Family is the most important duty I have. But I refuse to marry a man who only wants to marry me for his political advantage. In that way, my father's plan backfired a bit: had I been raised as a Princess from the very beginning, I might have blindly married whichever Prince asked for my hand. But because I was raised by commoners who did not put such a high value on strategic marriages… well, some of their sentiments rubbed off on me."

"So if you will not marry a man who is only considering his own benefit, what would make you more receptive to marrying someone?"

"To begin, the man has to be well-mannered and disciplined. He has to be very intelligent. He must be principled and resolute in the face of danger. He has to be a leader worthy of the name of Hyrule. And of course, I would prefer it if he regarded me as his equal. In short, none of those spineless, greedy, and scurrilous princes are acceptable men." Zukto laughed when she finished.

"What is so funny?" She asked indignantly.

"Princess, I hate to burst your bubble but do you realize how hard it will be to find someone who can live up to your expectations?"

"Honestly, the idea of becoming some man's 'property' disgusts me. If I had my way, I would simply never marry. But being the Princess, I do not know if I could get away with that. And having a baby out of wedlock is considered shameful. So no matter which way I look at it, I will have to get married. If that is the case, I will try my damnedest to marry someone who at least will not make me miserable all the time."

"Well I should say that I am not exactly used to the idea of marrying just for the sake of politics. Charcai does not have a monarchy like Hyrule does." When Zukto said that, Zelda seemed extra attentive.

"What then is the basis of your government?"

"We have an assembly, comprised of ordinary people. Everyone is required to serve on the assembly at some point. Who gets to serve on the assembly during a given cycle is selected at random from the pool of eligible adults. Men and women both are required to serve. The youngest age one can sit on the assembly is eighteen. Unfortunately, since I left home when I was only seventeen, I have yet to actually serve on the assembly." Zukto looked disappointed.

"Wow, everyone is required to serve?"

"Yes. We eventually came to the realization, over many centuries, that if you give man the ability to exclude others he will. We did not trust any men with power to faithfully maintain the barriers we might create to curb their power… so instead of allowing a few men to build up political machines to keep themselves in power, we simply said that everyone will serve. Because everyone has to serve, the job is not regarded as more desirable than other professions. At this point, everyone more or less sees it as a duty, a responsibility. We take it pretty seriously."

"What does the assembly do?"

"The assembly accepts petitions from the people. The petitions have a particular process to go through, to make sure that the assembly is not inundated with hundreds of petitions all at once. The petitions are read, discussed, and researched. The amount of time we spend vetting a petition mostly depends on how long, detailed, or complicated it is. If the petition is something that the assembly generally agrees with, it can choose to make the petition a law. But, um, the process is pretty involved. I am trying to summarize it as best I can, but to fully appreciate how all of it works I'd have to explain every little piece of it. I could do that for you, if you really wanted… wait, but didn't you tell me that you read about Charcai already?" Zukto looked confused.

"Ah, since I have been listening to you… I believe that the book we have about Charcai is quite old. It does not sound like many Hylians have seen Charcai, let alone heard about it. It must have been centuries since a Hylian was last in Charcai, hence the book being a bit outdated."

"I suppose that makes sense. But if the book your library has on Charcai is so outdated that it does not discuss our government, how were you able to pick up our language? Wouldn't the language book be outdated too?"

"I can see your point, Zukto, but the only resources I had were a dictionary and a book about your language. There are no tutors in Hyrule, at least to my knowledge, who know Charcaian. So that book must have been more contemporary, somehow. I guess it is pretty mysterious."

"That is one way of putting it."

"Hey, Zukto, take me to Charcai." Zelda suddenly requested. Zukto was not expecting that at all.

"Wh-what?"

"I want to see Charcai for myself. And you would like to go home, right? Take me with you." She insisted. Zukto sighed, suddenly feeling dejected.

"Princess, I do not know how I can go back. I came to Hyrule eight years ago, and have been unable to figure out how to go back this whole time. After a while, I kind of assumed that I would just live the rest of my days here." Zelda was surprised to see Zukto like that.

"I-I had no idea. But there must be a way to go back. How is it you came to Hyrule in the first place?"

"I don't know." Zukto abruptly answered. Zelda looked at him incredulously.

"How could you not?"

"All I know is that I did not come here of my own accord."

"So someone sent you here, then."

"I… maybe? I guess?"

"Do you think that someone from Hyrule brought you here, or someone from Charcai sent you here?"

"I don't know, I guess it sounds more plausible that someone from Charcai sent me here."

"Do you know anyone with strong magical powers?"

"… My brother…" Zukto muttered to himself.

"Hm?"

"Er, uh, nothing. Ignore me." Zukto hurriedly tried to dismiss the subject since Zelda could no longer remember the fact that his brother was essentially their sworn enemy. He was not looking forward to retelling her about his brother.

"We're here." Impa called over her shoulder as she slowed her horse down. They stopped right outside the main drawbridge to Castle Town. Zukto quickly dismounted his horse and ran over to help Zelda get out of the coach. Kyoshiro and Link also dismounted.

"That was some conversation you two were having." Link commented, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Kyoshiro asked. He had been too far ahead of the coach to notice.

"Oh, you know, just had some time to kill…" Zukto muttered, finally switching back to Hylian.

"You hiding something from us?" Link teased.

"Zelda is the one who insisted on it. I found out that she speaks my native language, and she is happy to be able to practice it now."

"I see…" Link shook his head.

"Thank you, Master Im

pa, for your help. Have a safe drive back to Kakariko." Zelda bowed slightly.

"Take care of yourself, Princess. And you three, keep an eye on her. Feel free to send me a letter if anything significant happens." With that, Impa directed her horse to return home. The four adventurers stood right outside of town for a moment.

"Well, Princess, would you like to lead the way?" Zukto asked, breaking the silence.

"I suppose. I just hope my Father is not waiting…" She muttered to herself. Everyone followed Zelda closely through town. Some townsfolk stopped and stared at the strange group of people heading towards the Castle.

They arrived at the Palace without incident. When she told the guards stationed at the main gate who she was, they sent a message to the Castle to make sure the staff knew of her arrival. By the time she lead the four of them into the main hall of the Castle, several servants were already ready and waiting.

"We were told that you have recently suffered a great injury, Princess. Please, come with us." Several maids lead Zelda away.

"You have my permission to do whatever in the Castle. Just tell everyone you are with me." Zelda called back to them as the maids guided her around a corner.

"So, now what?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Zukto, Kyoshiro! It has not been too long since we saw each other last, though as far as I understand it you two have been through a lot." His Majesty, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II, called out to them as he suddenly appeared in the main hallway.

"Your Majesty." All three of them greeted, kneeling down respectfully.

"Now, really quickly…" The King began as he was getting closer to the three of them. The three approached him, getting the feeling that he wanted to talk about something important.

"Zukto, I received your letter. I actually arranged the maids to take Zelda away on purpose because I wanted a chance to speak with you without her around. Is it true that my daughter's memory is failing?" The King spoke in hushed tones.

"Yes, Your Highness. She can remember everything that happened before meeting us, though."

"That is strange: her life has been reset to before you met her. I wonder why just the time she spent adventuring with you was wiped out."

"Ah, well, perhaps it has something to do with Demon King Demise." Zukto muttered.

"What? Demon King Demise?" The King looked at him in disbelief.

"We figured out the nature of the mark on her face, Sire. When Princess Zelda fought with Ganondorf as an adult, Ganondorf used a powerful curse to transfer a portion of Demise's soul into her body. Demise had been planning the whole thing for years, apparently." Zukto explained, looking grave.

"Dear Gods, Demise's soul is inside of my daughter's body?!" The King's eyes grew wide.

"Demise himself took over Zelda's body and told us." Link explained.

"I am sorry, my boy, I do not believe that we have met. Of course, I am your King. But may I have your name? Zukto and Kyoshiro must have roped you into helping them." He chuckled a bit.

"Sire, my name is Link."

"Link, well met. If you are helping Zukto and Kyoshiro keep my daughter safe, then I owe you my thanks. Although, this news… it is not good. So Demise can even take control of my daughter's body?"

"It happens most often when her emotions reach a breaking point: if she is angry, scared; that sort of thing." Zukto explained.

"Is there any way that we can prevent Demise from controlling her?" The King looked quite concerned.

"Well, um, about that—" Zukto began. Suddenly, a little girl with blonde hair rushed down the hallway and latched right onto the King's leg.

"Father! Father, I heard that my sister came back!" She seemed quite excited.

"Please, Azera, my child, let go of my leg and come here." The small girl listened, letting go of his leg and waiting expectantly for him to scoop her up. The King knelt down, gathered his daughter in his arms, and set her up on his shoulders. The girl seemed to really like that, giggling as he slowly stood up.

"Now, Azera, hold on tight." He instructed. The Princess nodded.

"Father, who are they?" She asked, looking carefully at Zukto, Kyoshiro, and Link.

"Azera, dear, these are our guests. They are also friends of your older sister."

"Oh! You are my sister's friends?!" The girl seemed surprised.

"Nice to meet you, Princess Azera; my name is Zukto." Zukto nodded at her.

"Hey, Princess Azera; I am Kyoshiro."

"Greetings, Princess Azera; my name is Link."

"H-hello." Azera responded shyly.

"Sire, we may need to finish our conversation at a different time." Zukto observed.

"Yes, we shall." The King did not want to talk about this matter around his youngest daughter.

"Um, you guys… you are sister's friends… so can you… be my friends too?" She asked, blushing.

"Sure we can, Azera." Link smiled lightheartedly.

"Speaking of my sister, where is she?" Azera asked, wondering why she was nowhere to be seen.

"Your sister is spending some time relaxing. She has been working very hard; you understand, right? When your sister is feeling better, she will come see everyone." The King explained. Azera seemed less than thrilled about his response.

"Are you three hungry? How about you join us for our morning meal?" The King motioned to the three, signaling that they should follow him.

Zelda was in her own room for the first time in what seemed like ages. The gilded furniture looked so foreign and uncomfortable to her. She felt like she was not allowed to touch any of it, let alone sit on it or use it. But the maids who had practically pushed her into her room and shut the door behind them had completely removed her clothes and insisted that she sit in the bath. Zelda was just sitting in the large, marble tub, trying her best to follow the instructions of the maids. They, figuring out that the Princess had not had access to good bathing facilities, were determined to scrub off every little bit of dirt, grime, and dead skin.

"No one will recognize you when we are done!" One of them proudly declared. Zelda rolled her eyes. Not that anyone recognized her anyway.

"By the way, Princess. This is some magic that you are using." Another one of the maids observed.

"E-excuse me?" Zelda was confused.

"Your hair! I remember it being such a vibrant blonde color before, like your mother's hair. But now, it's black as the night sky!"

"Ah, that, well…" Zelda stammered, not sure what to say.

"I think it is enchanting! You have always been an independent girl: you did it so you would stand out from the others, right? I can understand not wanting to look like dozens of princesses who came before you." A third one chimed in. Zelda raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her interpretation of it.

"You like my hair?" Zelda questioned.

"Yes, I do. Granted you have not been able to take care of it quite as well as we would if you stay here at the Castle, but it is so beautiful and makes you seem mysterious."

 _Beautiful and mysterious, hm… although, these girls are my 'servants.' They would not risk their job by telling me something horrible to my face, so… I can probably only take their words with a grain of salt._

Having thoroughly cleaned Zelda's body, the maids ordered her to face away from them and sit still so they could wash her hair. During the course of them cleaning her hair, Zelda felt overwhelmed by the number of bottles they picked up.

 _What the hell are they dumping on me?! By the gods, this wastes so much time. I could have bathed myself in a fraction of the time I've been forced to sit here with them. Why are nobles so vain?_ Zelda tried to occupy herself, but there was nothing interesting she could do while three ladies attacked her with soaps, oils, and who knew what else.

Finally, Zelda had been set free from her marble prison. The maids quickly patted her body dry with towels, but her hair was another matter entirely. Even after squeezing the excess water out, it was quite wet.

 _This is the major problem with having long hair... it will take forever to dry._ Zelda thought, looking annoyed.

"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"

"My hair, is there anything we can do to quickly dry it? I do not have time to wait for it to dry by itself." Zelda explained, keeping a towel pressed tightly around her. The maids looked at each other briefly before one of them began to dig through drawers in search of something.

"Please help me wrap my hair up in the meantime." Zelda requested of the maids not currently occupied. In no time at all, a precarious mountain of her hair and a towel was perched on her head.

 _I feel so awkward; I want to get dressed. But if I tried getting dressed now, my wet hair would just soak through my clothes._ Zelda settled for putting a robe on, impatiently sitting on the edge of her bed. The maids tried to engage her in conversation, but they seemed to enjoy gossiping and Zelda really was not in a mood for such tedious topics.

Finally, the other maid returned. She approached Zelda and dropped something into the Princess' outstretched hand, looking pleased with herself: it was a ring.

"Thank you." Zelda slipped the small ring onto her finger and began to think of being warm and dry. Within moments, she could feel a warm sensation spreading throughout her body. When the sensation wore off, Zelda reached up and touched her hair. It was definitely dry.

 _These things are quite useful. Something about this feels familiar, though._ Zelda noticed that something felt nostalgic to her, but she was not sure what.

"I want to wear my usual." Zelda stated, standing up as she untwisted the mountain from the top of her head. The maids quickly grabbed the pieces of Zelda's favorite outfit. Zelda removed the robe she had been wearing after her bath and pulled a full-length, duchesse satin slip over her head. With the slip in place, Zelda stepped into a full-length, chiffon lace petticoat. She opted to leave the slip tucked underneath the petticoat. Next, she pulled a georgette silk dress over her head. The dress itself was incredibly simple: the dress was strapless and sleeveless, and was a solid, light blue color. It was long, nearly touching the floor when Zelda was not wearing shoes. Next, she pulled a bodice over her head. The garment was a solid, dark blue color, in contrast with her light blue dress. The trim along all of the edges of the bodice, as well as the laces for it, were gold. The main part of the bodice fit directly underneath her breasts, and the bodice laced up in the front across her rib cage. Though the garment did not directly cover her breasts, it covered her back, shoulders, neck, and collarbone. There was a small section of laces where the bodice covered her throat, but Zelda kept the laces loose enough here to avoid injury. The bodice was boned, so when her maids began to tighten the laces around her waist she could feel the garment squeezing her. Apparently, it was an important fashion statement to accentuate one's hourglass figure to make the waist appear smaller and the hips fuller. Zelda hated it, though, as she was more accustomed to wearing clothes that did not restrict her movements.

Zelda gasped a bit.

"Are you alright, Princess?"

"I-I am fine. I just forgot about how dreadful these things are." Zelda lamented. The maids laughed.

"You spend too much time wearing unflattering clothes." One of the maids remarked. Zelda rolled her eyes. As if wearing flattering clothes was the most important thing a woman could do.

"Speaking of flattering, I believe that you need a special necklace." One maid observed.

"Why would I wear something so useless?" Zelda muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Your poor neckline is so bare. Perhaps your father could get you a necklace to match these…"

One of the maids pulled back Zelda's hair to reveal her long ears. She did not wear jewelry often, as it would just get in her way. The maids insisted, however, that Zelda wear her special earrings. Her Father had a special pair of solid gold Triforce earrings made for her eighteenth birthday. She had to admit that she liked them, since she revered the Triforce, but she pretended that wearing them was a huge bother.

Next, one of the maids grabbed a golden girdle belt with a huge piece of cloth draping from it. The entire piece was arguably one of Zelda's favorite accessories, as the golden girdle was a nice accent around her waist and the large, draping cloth had beautiful embroidery work on it. The cloth featured a large Triforce on it, as well as the crest of the Hylian Royal Family. The fabric had an ombré color scheme, starting at her waist as a light blue color matching her dress and transitioning to a dark blue color at the bottom. It was quite heavy, which is why Zelda only wore it in the Castle. Finally, Zelda slipped on a pair of long, light blue gloves. The gloves were fingerless and did not cover her palms, though they did taper starting at her wrist until they reached a point under the knuckle of her middle finger. The gloves had golden trim and a large cuff at roughly the level of her under arm. The cuffs were a dark blue color and featured embroidered Triforces.

"Wow, this is quite the ordeal." Zelda muttered.

"We aren't quite done with you yet."

"What else am I being subjected to?" Zelda asked in exasperation.

"Your feet are still bare, Princess. Let's put some stockings on before you put your favorite boots on." The maid offered Zelda her shoulder while she bent down and helped the Princess step into silk, knee-high stockings. With her stockings on, the maid also slipped on small garters to hold the stockings in place.

"I am done now, right?" Zelda looked like she was at her limit.

"We need to put your boots on." A maid reminded her. Zelda could barely contain herself. As soon as they helped her put her boots on, she nearly dashed for the door. She would have done just that, except, she felt a bit weighed down by everything she was wearing. And then she felt someone holding onto her hand. Confused, Zelda looked back at her entourage.

"I suppose I should remind you that we only finished dressing you. But you won't escape until we have had a chance to work on your face." Zelda could not help but groan when her maid said that.

The King, after enjoying a meal with his young daughter and the three adventurers, was showing them around the Castle. He had shown them the library, the gardens, the ballrooms, and was currently showing off his private study.

Zukto felt like he was dreaming. He had been to the Castle before, but the first time they visited had been a short trip. As such, many of the rooms the King showed them had been completely unknown to him before. It was such a magnificent building, one straight from a fairytale. The life of the Royal Family was certainly opulent, a kind of life completely foreign to him. And yet, though the King himself seemed to be proud of his family's heritage and the lifestyle that came with his title, Zukto could not help but think of Zelda. She was just as much a part of the Royal Family, but acted like she rejected nearly everything that she could associate with her father.

 _I wonder how she is doing… it has been quite some time since we were separated this morning…_

Suddenly, the King stopped mid-sentence; he had been explaining the significance of some portrait hanging on the wall. He reached underneath his short cloak and retrieved something that had been hiding in a small, hidden pocket. It was a small stone wrapped in a short rope. The King held the stone up to his face.

"Father?" The stone lit up as the single word echoed from it.

"Yes, Zelda?"

"Where are you?"

"My study."

"Stay right there."

Just as soon as the stone started sending messages, it grew quiet. Zukto, Kyoshiro, and Link were quite intrigued by the magical rock. The King smiled, put the rock away, and turned his attention back to his guests.

"That, gentlemen, is a Gossip Stone. It is a very powerful and rare stone that can transmit messages between two people. I have a stone, and so does my daughter. I made a deal with her: if she wanted to leave the Castle, she would be required to carry a stone like this with her at all times. That girl values her freedom, so she agreed to carry one. We use it to communicate over long distances." He explained. Zukto nodded, understanding why the King would want some method of easily contacting his daughter. Oddly enough, though, he had never once witnessed the Princess using it.

"So the Princess shall meet us here, then? I suppose all we can do is wait for her arrival." Link wondered if the King was just going to keep reciting all of his favorite stories, facts, and jokes while they waited. The thought never occurred to him that his King would be such a socialite; Link much preferred talking with Zukto and Kyoshiro, as they were more laid-back and relatable. The look on Kyoshiro's face told Link that he was not the only one to feel that way.

The King looked down at Azera, who was hiding behind his leg.

"Azera, dear, can you please go and play for a while? Your Father has some important, grown up business to attend to."

"Aww, really? Okay…" The girl looked disappointed. The King rang for a servant. When the servant arrived, he asked the young woman to escort his daughter to his wife.

"Now that it is just us again…" The King began after the servant took his daughter away.

"You want to talk about Zelda's condition, correct?" Zukto looked serious.

"Yes. Zukto, is there anything we can do for her?"

"Master Impa, the Sage of Shadow, suspects that the only way we can help your daughter overcome Demise's soul is by awakening Hylia."

"Awakening Hylia? Are you suggesting to me that inside of Zelda's body rest the souls of both Hylia **and** Demise?"

"Exactly." Zukto nodded.

"By the Gods, this is not something that I planned for…" The King looked troubled.

"Oh, Sire, if I may, I wanted to ask about what happened twenty years ago that prompted you to give your daughter away…" Zukto began. The King was stunned at first, not expecting Zukto to know anything about it.

"Y-you… how do you know about…" He began. Before he could finish, the door to the study abruptly opened. Everyone was startled, as they had been focusing on the conversation between His Majesty and Zukto. Zelda was standing in the doorway.

"Ah, there you are. We have been waiting for you." The King exuberantly greeted her, happy for a chance to dodge Zukto's question. For Zukto's part, the question he just asked completely disappeared from his mind when he registered that Zelda was no longer wearing the clothes she had been wearing as they traveled together. She looked every part a Princess now, resplendent in her regalia. He felt like his heart stopped in his throat.

"Father, where is sister?" Zelda quickly asked, looking around the room as if she was worried that something was going to ambush her. Zukto felt like it was a good thing that she was occupied, because he could not keep his eyes off her.

"I sent her to her mother." The King responded.

"That is probably for the best; we have work to do now." When she said 'we,' she looked over at Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro.

"You ready? Follow me. We need to look for books about the Darkness Orb, correct?" Zelda quickly left the room, not wanting to give her father any time to start a conversation.

 _I just need to keep busy. If we can take care of our business and leave, maybe I can avoid any kind of fights between us…_ She thought, determined to avoid him at all costs.

Her partners stayed behind a bit longer to thank His Majesty for his time and hospitality.

"I understand that my daughter is not patient when she is determined to accomplish something. Go to her, and lend what aid you can. And Zukto… please figure out a way to draw out Hylia. If Hylia's soul is indeed within my daughter, then Master Impa is correct. We will be unable to stop Demise without Hylia. Remember that Hylia is a being of Light: just as strong feelings of anger and hatred bring out Demise, equally strong feelings of love and goodness surely will bring Her out. I pray for your success."

The adventurers excused themselves and ran to catch up with Zelda. She had realized that they stayed behind, and was waiting for them at the end of the hallway.

"Finally; I was wondering if I needed to send my servants after you." Zelda scoffed when they met up with her.

"We were politely finishing our conversation with His Majesty." Link pointed out. Honestly, though, he was happy to get a break.

"You look great." Kyoshiro observed, raising an eyebrow. Zelda looked over at him, feeling embarrassed.

"I… th-thanks. Anyway, this way." Zelda abruptly changed the subject, leading them down another hallway. Zukto realized that she seemed to be walking just fine without staggering.

 _She was still unwell this morning; how is she feeling so much better already? And not to mention that what she is wearing right now… it cannot be comfortable. As stunning as she is like this, is it really wise for her to be wearing such heavy and constrictive clothing?_ Zukto wanted to ask her about it, but figured that she would get even more embarrassed if he asked now in front of everyone. He realized with a start that Zelda acted completely differently around groups of people than she did when it was just him and her.

 _I never noticed before: does she hate crowds? She seems to only be comfortable if it is just her and one other person._

When they reached the library, Link held the door open for everyone.

"So, here we are. Arguably, this is my favorite place in the entire Castle. Probably even in this whole town. Anyway, our main objective is to find books that mention the Darkness Orb. I will just come out and say that we do not actually have any books titled as such; however, I assume that some Sage or spiritual leader centuries ago must have written about it under some other name. So we need to look for old history books, texts about our legends, anything that might talk about powerful entities." Zelda explained. Link and Kyoshiro left for different sections, but Zukto stayed with Zelda.

"Due to your injuries, I don't want you to carry stacks of books. Have me carry them instead." He offered.

"Fine, I guess. But I am fine right now, in case you were wondering. I took some potions that dull the pain considerably. The effects will not last forever, but I can at least get through my day at nearly full capacity."

"Okay, but make me do the heavy lifting."

"This way." Zelda directed, heading down an aisle of books.

She quietly stood in the aisle way, reading the titles of dozens of books. Zukto stared at the shelves and shelves of books, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. He was not sure how she could find anything useful; the longer he stared at the bookshelves the more he thought that all of the books were blending together.

"Do not space out on me, Zukto." Her voice snapped him back to attention as a black shadow suddenly jumped up towards a book, plucked it from a shelf, and quickly dumped it into Zukto's hand.

"Wh-what was that?!" Zukto exclaimed.

"Why are you acting so surprised? You said we traveled together. Do not tell me that I did not use my powers the entire time we were together." Zelda briefly looked annoyed, but she returned her attention to the books. Again, another shadow reached out and retrieved a book from a high shelf. Zukto realized that Zelda was stretching the shadow of her arm to reach things that ordinarily would be out of her reach. The library had large step ladders to reach higher shelves, but Zukto felt better knowing that her feet were firmly on the ground. The last thing he wanted was her tripping on a ladder or falling.

"Hey, um, by the way…" Zukto started.

"What?"

"You look so beautiful." Zukto whispered, switching to Charcaian. Zelda was about to pick up another book, but she stopped. She turned to make eye contact with Zukto, her face expressionless.

"I suppose that anyone could become beautiful when dressed in expensive clothes." She quipped, speaking back to him in Charcaian.

"I already told you before that I thought you were attractive without all of this; it's a different kind of beauty from before. It feels so surreal now."

"All beautiful things fade. Jewelry rusts, statues break and crumble, rugs get snagged, flowers wilt, castles get destroyed, and people grow old. Why do humans care about something so fleeting and superficial?" Zelda snapped. Zukto was caught off guard, but not for long.

"Are you suggesting then that people stop making beautiful things? That the sky should always stay grey, that the grass should turn brown, that the stars stop shining in the night sky, that the piano player should stop playing? There are beautiful things in the world because these beautiful things enrich our existence." Zukto countered.

"All of this is pointless. Just because my maids forced me to wear makeup and nice clothes does not somehow change who I am. All of this stuff is distracting with how it glitters and shines. The most important part of me has been here this whole time, **but no one notices!** " Zelda suddenly shouted the last part in Hylian, getting the attention of everyone in the library. In the moments after Zelda's outburst, the library was deathly quiet. Zukto could feel his heart pounding in his ears. She was staring at him, almost daring him to respond. Zukto took a deep breath, knowing that he could not let their conversation end there.

"You are pushing people away. That is the real reason why it seems like no one notices you." Zukto quietly pointed out in Charcaian, not wanting anyone to understand what their conversation was about. Zelda scowled.

"You talk as if you know me." She switched back to Charcaian, folding her arms in defiance.

"Zelda, I was not lying when I said we traveled together. And want to know something? When we were together, you told us that it is painful to be alone. You said to me that you do not want me to treat you differently because of who you are. Well, right now you are acting like you want to chase everyone away again. You enjoy the pain of being alone then; is that it? Sorry, I should not blame you. This is really because of De—" Zukto abruptly stopped, realizing that he was about to say something that he would be unable to take back. Zelda got in his face, noticing that he stopped himself.

"Do you have something you want to tell me?" She whispered, looking at him suspiciously.

"Not now. We cannot talk about this now." Zukto muttered, looking away. Zelda looked quite unamused, but wordlessly snatched the few books that Zukto had been holding. She briskly walked out of the library, wanting to find a spot where she could read in peace.

 _People are always so tiring. Maybe it is a good thing that I cannot remember what it was like to travel with those three._

Zelda had retreated to her room since Zukto and the others had no idea where it was. At first she glanced through the books she had, barely able to focus on the words she saw on the page. After more than an hour of fruitlessly looking through a book, Zelda suddenly tossed the book across her room.

"Damn him! Damn everyone! I wish they would just disappear… ugh… he is right… I am afraid of getting close to them. What if I allow myself to get close to them? I already technically lost them once, with my memories… but I might lose them permanently… just like I lost mom and dad…" Zelda started to cry bitterly. As she sat on the floor in her room feeling miserable, a malevolent voice pierced through the silence.

 _My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end!_

"Wh-what?! Who-who said that?!" Zelda panicked, quickly standing up. The room was empty, to her knowledge. She readied her magic, cautiously looking around.

 _Hehe, ready to blast me to pieces? Ready to make me bleed?_ The voice mocked. Zelda realized with a start that the voice she was hearing was not coming from the room: it was coming from her own mind!

"H-how are you speaking to me inside my mind?!"

 _Awww, don't tell me that the little Princess forgot about me too?_ The voice laughed again.

"I… I know you?"

 _Of course. I am you, and you are me. I am a part of yourself that you keep repressed._

"I… I do not believe you."

 _Is that so? Hmhmhmmhm…_ The voice fell quiet, but suddenly Zelda's head felt like it was going to split in two.

"Aagghh, wh-what the hell…" She gripped tightly to her head, trying to endure the pain. Before long, she blacked out.

"Give me the Spiritual Stone of the Forest!" She demanded, standing before a massive tree. The tree looked at her defiantly.

"There is nothing that you could do to me to make me give you the Spiritual Stone. Give up, and leave this Forest. You do not belong here." The tree retorted.

"Nothing I can do, hm?" She asked, smiling wickedly. Focusing her magic, her consciousness briefly left her body. She could see and feel the inside of the tree. Using her powers, she created a giant spider and planted it in the heart of the tree. When her consciousness returned to her body, she could already tell by the look on the tree's face that what she did was effective.

"Wh-what have… you done?!" The tree grunted.

"You said that there was nothing I could do to make you give me the Stone. And I actually believe you. Since you will give me nothing, I decided to leave you with _a parting gift_. That curse I placed on you **will** kill you. Enjoy your final day while it lasts." She laughed, turning to leave.

"Where is your daughter?!" She seethed, punching a table. The man across from her faltered, but did not say anything.

"Heh, going to protect her even now? I think you already know that I can cut you down right where you stand." She threatened.

"You have no business with my daughter. If you have business, it is with me and only me."

"That daughter of yours has something that I need. If you deny me, well then…" She pulled out a jagged, blood-soaked sword.

"If you kill me in cold blood, the entire Kingdom will rise against you."

"Please. I have spent enough time here to know that I can fend off your entire Kingdom with one hand tied behind my back. You are all weak! Pathetic! And I am tired of kissing up to weaklings!" She roared, not sparing a second. With impressive speed, she jumped right up to the man and ran him through. All of the servants erupted into hysterics, watching their master murdered right before their eyes. The guards all approached her, trying to fight back. But they were much too weak, not even able to get close to her before she unleashed a shockwave of dark energy from her body that sent them flying into walls.

"I. Shall. Rule. Hyrule!" She cried, leaving the throne room. She had to find that girl.

"Hm… this is a nice Temple you have here." She innocently remarked to the Zora woman.

"This is the Earth Temple. What brings you here?"

"Oh, nothing… I just heard a strange rumor. I heard that a couple of people are picked by the Gods to give power to something called the Master Sword. Supposedly without the power that these special people pour into the sword, it just becomes a regular, pathetic blade."

"Y-you… you are no ordinary person." The Zora woman remarked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Too correct you are." She chuckled.

"If you have no business here, I am going to ask you to leave. This is a holy place."

"Actually, I do have business here… sorry, this is truly nothing personal but…" She laughed ominously.

"I cannot allow you to live!" She yelled, quickly drawing her two blades and killing the Zora. She laughed again, amazed that the Gods would pick such a fragile and pathetic girl to fulfill such an important job.

"If I kill the final Sage, then the Master Sword shall be utterly worthless!"

"Welcome to my Castle." She said smugly, staring at the young man in green who approached her.

"So you're… Ganondorf." A strange imp stated, staring him down. Instead of answering the imp out loud, Zelda slowly stood up and just flashed a grin of acknowledgment at her.

"I've been dying to meet you." The imp exclaimed, scowling. Finally, Zelda thought it appropriate to speak.

"Your people have long amused me, Midna. To defy the gods with such petty magic, only to be cast aside… how very pathetic. Pathetic as they were, though, they served me well. Their anguish was my nourishment. Their hatred bled across the void and awakened me. I drew deep of it and grew strong again. Your people had some skill, to be sure… but they lacked true power." She paused her taunting here, to look above her. The body of Princess Zelda hung limp against the wall above the throne that she had been sitting in when the young man in green arrived.

"... the kind of absolute power that those chosen by the gods wield. He who wields such power would make a suitable king for this world, don't you think?" She held up her right hand and curled it into a fist, showing off the mark of the Triforce of Power.

Zelda's vision came back to her in a rush. She was on her hands and knees on her bedroom floor, gasping for breath.

"Y-you! Are-are you the reason I am having visions from Ganondorf's perspective?!"

 _Those are Ganondorf's memories. Do you like them?_

"Why am I seeing Ganondorf's memories?"

 _I already told you: I am you, and you are me._

"N-no way… are you telling me that _I_ am Ganondorf?!" Zelda cried out, feeling light-headed. Wrath, noticing that Zelda was yelling at an empty room, quietly left her to find the others.

Wrath suddenly jumped out of Zukto's shadow.

"W-Wrath?! What are you…?" Zukto began, completely taken by surprise.

"Zukto, there is no time! Take my hand, now!" Zukto was still not sure why Wrath was in such a panic, but he listened to Wrath's instruction. As soon as Zukto grabbed his hand, the two of them were carried away in a dark cocoon.

As soon as the darkness dissipated, Zukto found himself in a room along with Wrath. A quick scan of the room revealed to him that Zelda was there.

"P-Princess?" Zukto hesitated, remembering the fight they got into earlier. Zelda seemed to not even realize that she had company though.

"How can I be Ganondorf when I fought with him?!" She yelled at nobody in particular, grief deeply etched into her face.

 _Oh Gods, is Demise speaking with her?!_

"Zelda! Zelda! You have to snap out of it!" Zukto tried to get her attention, pulling her close to him. As soon as Zukto pulled Zelda against his chest, the voice disappeared. Her eyes flew open in a panic.

"Get away from me! I am dangerous!" Zelda exclaimed as she pushed herself out of Zukto's grasp.

"D-dangerous?" Zukto was confused.

"… I…" Zelda hesitated, not wanting to tell Zukto that she shared Ganondorf's memories.

"… Who were you speaking with just now?" Zukto asked, looking at the ground.

"I-I have no idea. Just, all of a sudden, I heard the phrase 'My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end!' And then some guy started saying things to me…" When Zelda repeated the phrase she heard, Zukto's heart skipped a beat.

 _Dear Gods… Demise really is serious about trying to control her… should I tell her…? No, I shouldn't just go off and do things without talking to everyone else first…_

"Is the voice gone?" Zukto calmly asked.

"Y-yes. It disappeared as soon as you grabbed me. Actually, now that I think about it… how did you do that?" Zelda looked up at him, concern etched into her face.

"Zelda, that voice you heard represents darkness. I simply used light to chase the darkness away."

"Used light? What does that even mean?"

"If you want me to be more specific, it was my feelings for you." Zukto looked away from her when he said it, blushing. Zelda blushed too.

"But, you said that you and I did not…"

"I had not properly told you yet, that's why."

"A-ah, I see…"

 _Never mind that I did actually tell her, but thanks to Demise she has forgotten all about it…_

Suddenly, the door to Zelda's room opened and people filed in. Kyoshiro, Link, and the King all came to see why Zukto had disappeared so fast.

"Zelda! What happened, my child?" The King looked grave.

"I-I am fine." Zelda responded abruptly. Zelda's father looked over at Zukto, who merely mouthed the words 'we can talk later.'

 _From the looks of things, I have to guess that she had another one of her attacks. Is it just me, or are they happening more frequently now? But of course, we can't talk about them in front of Zelda. She completely forgot about them, so if we just casually bring it up in front of her… yeah that'll go over well. Instead, we have to sit here and stay quiet like a bunch of assholes…_ Kyoshiro was annoyed that the situation was getting worse and he had no idea what they could do to make things better.

 _I wonder how exactly Zukto is able to quell those episodes that Zelda has._ Link thought, furrowing his brow. While everyone was distracted, Azera quietly slipped into the room.

"Zelda, is there anything that I can do for you right now?" Zukto asked.

"N-no… I guess I should thank you, though…"

"Wait a second! Mr. Zukto! Why did you call her Zelda?!" Azera blurted out. Everyone, startled, turned to the girl. Zelda's face turned completely white when she made eye contact with the young Princess.

"Why Azera, this is my friend Zelda. You know, your older sister? Of course I have to call her Zelda, that's her—" Zukto started, not noticing the look on Zelda's face.

"You liar! That's not my sister! My sister is blonde! My sister looks like me! Zelda doesn't look scary like this girl! Who is that?!" Azera cried out.

"Wh-what…?" Zukto muttered, not understanding why the young princess started to cry, why the King hurriedly scooped up his youngest daughter and left the room, or why Zelda started to sob uncontrollably.

"What in Din's name just happened?!" Kyoshiro asked.

"Oh Gods… you guys say that Zelda's face looked differently before we met her. Do you think that _no one ever told Azera_ that her sister had changed?" Link asked, hoping his hunch was wrong. They looked at Zelda.

"It… it is true… no one ever told her… and I cannot remember the last time I actually saw her…" Zelda was still crying too.

"Oh Gods… I apologize, Princess… I had no idea that she didn't already know…" Zukto covered his face with one of his hands.

"I guess… I cannot blame you… how could you have known…?" Zelda muttered, looking despondent.

 _Oh Gods, my own sister thinks that I am scary… why?! Why is this happening?! Why…_

"H-hey… maybe hanging around here is not the best idea… maybe we should head into town for a little bit?" Link suggested.

"Sure…" Zelda responded, not really concerned with what everyone else wanted to do.

"If I may… can we maybe use this time to see my family?" Kyoshiro asked, feeling a bit guilty for asking at a time like this. But if they were going into town anyway…

"Hm, that's as good an idea as any other." Link looked thoughtful.

"Princess, will you join us to visit Kyoshiro's family? He wants us there. But if you want to keep to yourself while we are there, I understand. I just really do not want to leave you by yourself."

"I will come; I understand. But do not rely on me to be interesting company." She warned.

"Okay, are we ready? Kyoshiro, want to lead the way?" Zukto stood up slowly, making sure that Zelda was standing with him. She did, but did not seem terribly interested in what was going on around her.

As everyone was filing out of her room, Zelda quickly pulled on her full body cloak and hid her face with her hood. She did not want people to know that she had been crying. No one said a word the entire time it took to leave the castle and wander through town. Finally, Kyoshiro broke the silence.

"A-hem, um… we're here." He seemed to be on pins and needles.

"Whenever you're ready." Link nodded. Kyoshiro took a deep breath before knocking at the door. He could hear movement on the other side, and eventually the door swung open.

"Can I help you? Wait a second… don't I know you?" The man asked, looking carefully at Kyoshiro.

"It's been a while… father." Kyoshiro muttered quietly. The man did a double-take.

"Oh by the merciful Gods above; Kyoshiro?!" The man's mouth was hanging open.

"Y-yeah, it's me… surprise."

"F-Father?! Did you say what I think you said?!" A girl's voice could be heard from inside the house. Suddenly, a young woman pressed herself right against Kyoshiro's father so she could see what was going on. Her eyes widened when she noticed Kyoshiro.

"Brother… Gods be praised, you actually came home…" She smiled, tears in her eyes.

"H-hey, Maren." Kyoshiro smiled slightly.

"Please, Father, can they come in?!" Maren practically jumped on the man.

"S-sure. Okay, come on everyone. My daughter doesn't take no for an answer." The man warned, only half seriously. In no time, Maren had gathered the group around the dinner table.

"My goodness, I did not expect so many guests!" A woman in the kitchen remarked. Kyoshiro ran a hand through his hair, chuckling to himself.

"Mom, it's me."

"Wh-what?! K-Kyo?!" The woman abruptly left the kitchen, barely able to believe what she was seeing.

"So, um, Kyo… gosh, it has been such a long time since any of us have seen you. In fact, it has been five years. Do you have any idea how much we've been worried?!" Maren scolded. Kyoshiro smiled nervously.

"Oh come now, Maren. No one around here was that worried."

"Wrong! Or did you magically forget about what separated us in the first pl—" Maren stood up, placing her hands on her hips. She looked displeased with her brother. Kyoshiro purposely cut her off before she could finish her thought.

"Hey, nobody forgot about anything. I got a job, and had been busy with that for the last five years."

"So busy that you do not visit at all in five years? Not even a letter?"

"Maren… you are starting to sound like mom." Kyoshiro remarked, suspecting that she would try to hit him for that. He was right; she hit him on the arm, and suddenly panicked afterwards.

"Ah, ah, excuse my manners! I just was so relieved to see my thick-headed brother that I forgot about introductions! My name is Maren, of course. I am seven years younger than Kyo, although my brother acts so much younger than his age that you would never know I am so much younger than him. My father's name is Darak, and my mother is Cila."

"Hey now, that's no way to talk to your older brother…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"My name is Zukto. I am one of Kyoshiro's friends and partners." Zukto bowed slightly.

"I am Link. Same thing as Zukto: I am Kyo's friend and partner." Link smiled. Zukto gently nudged Zelda underneath the table to get her attention. She still had not removed her cloak, and had no intention of doing so.

"My name is Azera. I am also Kyoshiro's partner." When she said the name Azera, Kyoshiro's father's eyes narrowed a bit. Zelda was not focused on him, though, so she did not notice this.

"I guess I can thank you guys for keeping my knuckle-headed brother alive for so long?" Maren asked, chuckling.

"You got that right." Link teased.

"Hey, Zukto, I am sorry but…" Maren started, looking a bit sheepish.

"Hm? Is something the matter?"

"Y-your ears… they are so small and not pointed. Why is that? S-sorry, I know, I barely know you… but I have never seen ears like yours before!" The girl blushed, looking embarrassed. Zukto laughed a bit.

"It's okay. I know: I'm weird by Hylian standards. I am from Gerudo Valley." He decided to lie, not wanting to get into his actual origins with these people.

"I-I guess that explains your darker complexion too… wow… I never met anyone from the Desert before." The girl looked mystified. Zukto was glad that the girl did not seem to know about or understand the fact that men were not often born in the Desert.

"H-hey, where he is from isn't too important anyway. This man, Zukto, he's the guy responsible actually for our group here. See, I had just been working solo as a bounty hunter for many years… but not too long ago, this complete stranger comes to town and turns my life upside down." Kyoshiro was mostly joking.

"So, if you brought everyone together Zukto… may we ask why? Why did you need my brother of all people?"

"We all possess different strengths and abilities. I needed a well-rounded team of adventurers." Zukto explained, still trying to be vague. When Zukto said that, he could tell that Maren looked over at Zelda. Clearly, Maren wanted to know more about the only woman in the group.

"Adventurers? Brother, do you get into a lot of dangerous situations?" Maren asked, furrowing her brow.

"It's just the type of work I do. Bounty hunting is dangerous, this stuff is dangerous; can't really avoid it."

As they talked, Zelda was idly looking around the house from her seat at the table. She was not really looking for anything, nor was she paying attention. Suddenly, though, something caught her eye; there was a pictograph of what appeared to be Kyoshiro's father with a woman who was not Kyoshiro's mother. The woman looked familiar. At first Zelda tried to ignore it, since she had no idea who the woman was, but a nagging voice kept telling her to study the pictograph further. Finally, Zelda wordlessly got up from the table and walked right up to it. Everyone watched her with interest, and they were curious as to why she stopped in front of that specific picture.

"This woman…" Zelda began, her face still obscured by the hood of her cloak.

"That… that is a pictograph of my sister and I before she got married." The man explained, looking mournful. Zelda froze in place, staring into the face of the woman.

"N-no way… this is my mother!" Zelda suddenly cried out, placing a hand over her mouth. Kyoshiro's father abruptly stood up from the table, staring at the cloaked woman in complete disbelief. Everyone else fell silent.

"… You said earlier that… your name is Azera, correct? That's… that's the name that my sister gave to the baby girl she adopted… could it really be you…?"

"My mother's name was Lillia."

"Oh dear Gods… it's you! It's really Lillia's daughter! I've been wondering all this time…" The man looked beside himself. Everyone looked puzzled.

"Um, since my mother is your sister… should I call you Uncle?" Zelda asked, hoping that he would not think she was being too forward.

"Pl-please do! You know, I was absolutely devastated when I heard about my sister's and her husband's murder. And of course, I knew that they had a young girl at the time. I asked around to see if I could just adopt the girl into my family, but apparently she had been taken in already by someone who lived in Kakariko."

 _Wait… a second… Zelda's parents were killed when she was ten. I am four years older than her. I got adopted… right after her parents' murder?! N-no way… is this some kind of creepy coincidence, or…?_ Kyoshiro thought, a bit unnerved.

"W-wow, Kyoshiro, I never realized." Zelda began. Kyoshiro looked over at her.

"We are cousins." She pointed out. Kyoshiro was happy that he had not been drinking anything, because he would have spit it up the second that his brain registered what the Princess had just said to him.

"A-actually… I need to clear something up. Kyoshiro and Azera, you two are not merely cousins." The man sighed. Zelda and Kyoshiro looked at each other, not knowing what to expect.

"Azera, your mother gave birth to a child before she adopted you. The child she gave birth to… was Kyoshiro."

"What?! You mean this entire time, you knew who my parents were?!" Kyoshiro freaked out.

"Kyoshiro, please. There… was a good reason that I have hesitated for so long to tell you this."

"What's the reason?"

"The reason I never told you that your birth mother was my sister is because naturally, you would have asked _why_ she gave you up. When you were younger, I just simply did not have the stomach to tell you. Now that you are fully grown, however, I can finally reveal the truth to you. The reason why your mother did not keep you, the reason why I had to keep quiet about everything… was because my sister's pregnancy with you was the result of her being attacked." When Kyoshiro's dad said that, everyone gasped.

"Wh-what…?" Kyoshiro was stunned.

"I cannot blame her. She panicked after she told me that she was pregnant, because she knew that it was _that bastard's_ kid. She was worried that you were going to look like him. But she carried you to term. And her husband-to-be, he was so supportive… they put you up for adoption after she gave birth to you."

"So that actually means that…" Zelda started.

"You're my sister." Kyoshiro looked like he could not believe anything anyone was saying.

"But… Kyo… Gods, this is so hard… I actually owe you an apology." The man looked worried.

"E-eh?"

"… Your mother, my sister I mean, had begged me to adopt you from day one. But at first I thought that you weren't my problem, so I didn't even go to the orphanage to meet with you. She continually asked me if I had changed my mind about it. The thing that finally got me to adopt you was in fact her murder. I said earlier that I had wanted to adopt Azera, but when I found out that she had already been taken care of, well… it was partly because I wanted a way to still feel close to my deceased sister, partly because I was so guilty. So I adopted you in honor of my dead sister."

"I… I see." Kyoshiro's expression was unrecognizable.

"… That's not all. I was really unfair to you. I adopted you for pretty selfish reasons. And then when you were here, you were so distant. I have to blame myself for that, I guess. You were already suspicious of the people around you, and you were used to being alone. When I brought you into our home, you could probably tell that I was not truly welcoming. So you shut down. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's exactly why you protected us that day isn't it? I regret that I left you behind that day: since the incident five years ago, not a day has gone by that I did not blame myself."

"W-wow… father… I honestly had no idea that's how you felt. Ugh, dammit. With such a serious confession like that, I have no choice but to meet you in the middle. So… how about we try to start over again?" Kyoshiro smiled lightly. Kyoshiro's father broke down and started to quietly cry.

Kyoshiro's mother came over and wrapped her arms around her husband's shoulders.

"This is so, so wonderful. The family is back together again, and now we know that our niece is okay too. Kyoshiro, thank you from the bottom of my heart." His mother was crying, too.

Maren was a mess.

"F-finally…! I kept h-hoping… that we could… smooth everything over… I always prayed… thank the Gods. Thank the Gods…" She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but more poured from her eyes.

Zelda could not help but tear up a bit too.

"I knew that my mother had a brother, but she never took me to see you. I am relieved to know that I still have family related to my mother."

"Speaking of… your family… Azera, I am sorry for prying, but… your mother told me that she knew who your original family was, but she never actually told me who it was. May I ask… who is your real family? Did you ever find out?"

Zelda's breath caught in her throat.

 _Should I… tell them? If I did, they would be the first people not working for my father to know…_

"Is… something wrong?" Her Uncle looked concerned.

"I… Uncle, I have a confession to make. My name was indeed Azera while Lillia raised me. But my actual name is Princess Zelda of the Hylian Royal Family." With this, she pushed her hood off to reveal her face. The room was deathly silent.

"By… By the Gods…! This entire time…!" He muttered in amazement.

"My—my cousin… is a Princess?!" Maren's mouth hung open.

"I have a request to make, though. My father has not yet officially announced that the rights to the Hylian throne belong to me. To that end, I have not told anyone of my identity if they do not work for my father directly. I just decided on a whim to reveal my identity to you; may I ask that you do not talk about my true identity around others until my father, His Majesty, has officially announced my title as Princess?"

"Of-of course, Princess Zelda. We swear that we will not speak of your identity. I am grateful to finally see you after all this time, but to know that you would trust us to keep your identity a secret… it is a huge honor, one I am not worthy of." Her Uncle bowed deeply. Zelda bowed in return.

"Thank you, Uncle. Oh… and I want to thank you for adopting Kyoshiro." She smiled lightly. Kyoshiro suddenly blushed, and got annoyed at himself for having that kind of a reaction.

"Y-you're… welcome…"

"I may be the Princess, but I would very much appreciate it if you simply treat me as your own. You may call me cousin, Maren. And I am more than happy to be your niece." Zelda nodded. Kyoshiro's family looked ecstatic.

"Is anyone hungry?" Kyoshiro's mother interjected, smiling.

"Me!" Kyoshiro loudly declared, which made Maren laugh.

"You haven't changed!" She remarked.

"I am quite hungry, too." Zelda muttered, blushing slightly.

"Princess, just ask for something and it's yours." Her Uncle declared.

"I am more than happy to try whatever Aunt made. I have not eaten today: I may pass out." Zelda explained, pressing a hand gently to her stomach as it growled loudly. Zukto realized with a start that she had a point: they all had a morning meal with the King while she had been with her maids.

Kyoshiro's mom started dishing out bowls of stew. Zelda, remembering that she was still wearing her cloak, quickly left the table so she could take it off. When she returned to the table, Maren realized what Zelda was wearing.

"W-wow! You really are a Princess!" She breathed.

"I would not lie about something like that." Zelda pointed out.

"I-I know! It's just, that's the sort of thing that you only read about in fairytales! I am just some commoner; I never thought that I would be sharing a meal with Princess Zelda!"

"Maren, I would like to remind you that I thought that _I_ was a commoner for fifteen years of my life. Lillia raised me as a commoner, and even after her death I continued to be ignorant of my origins. It was not until I was fifteen that His Majesty approached me to explain my identity. What I mean to say when I bring this up is that my Royal origins have only been a factor in a quarter of my life. The other three-quarters of my life, though, I completely empathize with you."

"Y-you're right. I need to remember that." Maren smiled.

"I still do not know when everyone else will find out about my identity… but I hope that they will accept me."

"We accept you!" Maren quickly exclaimed.

"Th-thanks. It… means a lot." Zelda closed her eyes, smiling.

"By… by the way… cousin… um…" Maren started, hesitating about something.

"Is everything okay?" Zelda tilted her head to the side, curious about Maren's hesitation.

"I… I am sorry… I just… I am really curious about your eyes!" Maren blurted out, blushing slightly.

"Ah, I should have guessed that you would be. I know: Hylians do not have eyes like mine."

"S-sorry, I know, your eye color is something you have no control over…" Maren muttered.

"Maren, what do you honestly think about my eyes? Do I look scary, like a monster?" Zelda asked, worrying about how they would react.

"No! You are not scary! I did think it was weird at first when you came into our home completely hiding with that cloak… but you are trying to protect your identity. I understand. Your eyes are very striking, but not scary. And your dark hair… I am actually jealous of you. It looks so silky and beautiful." Maren smiled. Zelda smiled slightly, but her smile did not last long when she remembered how her younger sister reacted.

"Is something wrong?" Maren frowned.

"Unfortunately, yes. I ask that question because earlier today, my blood sister—the young Princess Azera—saw my face and called me scary." Zelda sighed.

"Princess Azera? Isn't she about eight years old?" Her Uncle asked.

"Yes."

"She's young yet. Give her time, and she will come to realize the strength you are hiding within your eyes." He remarked. Zelda smiled slightly.

"I appreciate your kind words, but I am struggling to see for myself the strength that you observe. I am still very self-conscious about how I look; I am constantly reminded of the fact that I do not look like my ancestors."

"Pardon me for asking this, but is that so bad?" Maren tilted her head slightly.

"In a few ways, yes. To start, Hylians proudly stand by their traditions. Having a princess named Zelda is familiar and comfortable for them. But just the name is not enough. My physical appearance is radically different from the princesses who ruled before me. People have a specific image in their mind of who Zelda is. When they see me, their preconceptions of who Zelda is are at odds with my reality. Typically people reject what is foreign to them. Since I am not the quintessential Princess Zelda, my authority will likely be challenged. My own people will be suspicious of me." Zelda sighed.

"You may be right about people being suspicious. But I don't know, it seems to me like you are putting too much importance on what others think. Your appearance is not what matters when ruling Hyrule, right? Aren't your virtues and talents more important? I think that a Zelda who looks nothing like past Zeldas can still be superior to them. What matters is your heart."

"You make very valid points, Maren. I just… this ultimately comes down to me being afraid. I am afraid of the day when my father finally reveals my identity to everyone; I am afraid of being rejected."

"Even if people do reject you, though, that won't stop you right?"

"Eh?"

"I get the feeling that you do not do anything halfway. So if people really do reject you, I believe that it would just make you work even harder. One day, you'll do something so great that everyone will have no choice but to acknowledge you. That's what I think."

"Heh… Maren, I really wish that I could have met you years ago." Zelda said, smiling at her cousin. Maren blushed, looking proud.

 _The Gods certainly work in mysterious ways. I am having a heart-to-heart conversation with this girl who is three years my junior and yet she is still able to hold her own against me._

 _At first I was honestly bummed about her forgetting about us… but now, I am ironically glad that we came to this place_ _ **after**_ _she had already lost her memories. That would be way too difficult for me, knowing that she was my sister and yet being unable to talk about it… but Gods, to call Zelda my sister… it sounds so… foreign to me…_ Kyoshiro shook his head in disbelief.

Everyone enjoyed their meal together. Even after the dishes had been cleared from the table, everyone remained to talk over cups of tea. It was not until much later in the evening that Zukto stood up, getting everyone's attention.

"Darak, Cila, and Maren, we really appreciate your hospitality. I suppose that you couldn't turn Kyoshiro away in good conscience because he's your son, but he brought a few guests along and I am sure that we caught you by surprise." When Zukto finished, Kyoshiro stood up.

"Thanks, Darak… for telling me the truth."

"Uncle Darak, I feel like you helped me find a small part of myself tonight. I am eternally grateful, and I hope that our next meeting is not far into the future. Take care of yourselves." Zelda stood after Kyoshiro finished talking, and bowed slightly when she finished thanking her Uncle.

"I think that Kyoshiro has a great family. It was lovely to meet you." Link stood up, smiling slightly.

"Take care of my brother, okay? I worry about him all the time. And make sure that he doesn't give Cousin a hard time!" Maren requested, moving over to Zelda.

"I-I know you're a Princess, but am I allowed to hug you?"

"O-oh, of course." Zelda nodded, smiling slightly. The two girls embraced, and Zelda noticed how eagerly Maren squeezed her.

"Be safe, my son and niece. If you have time, we would appreciate it if you at least sent us letters from time to time." Darak nodded at Kyoshiro.

"Kyoshiro, I am so relieved that are doing well. Be safe always." Cila walked over to Kyoshiro and pulled him close to her. Kyoshiro rolled his eyes, but returned her hug.

"Until next time." Zukto nodded, leading his group outside.

When everyone was outside, they momentarily stopped to reflect on what just happened.

"W-wow. I never once thought that you two were…" Zukto started, ruffling his hair a bit.

"It's news to us too, trust me." Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow.

"I knew about my Uncle, but not much specifically; I did not know about his family. My mother also never told me about her first child, but in her defense I was still young when she was killed. Maybe she would have told me one day, had she been alive to raise me."

"It feels like we're quite a bit closer than we used to be." Link remarked.

"For some of us, we are literally closer than we first thought." Zelda chuckled slightly.

"Y-yeah, about that. So I guess I'm your brother… but I'm going to be honest with you Princess: this is incredibly weird for me." Kyoshiro furrowed his brow.

"Do not worry, Kyoshiro: I understand how you feel. It is not so easy for me to just call you my brother, even if I know that Darak is telling the truth about us."

"Although… this means I get to invoke older brother privilege right?" A mischievous grin spread across his face. Zelda looked taken aback.

"Wh-what in Din's name does that mean?!"

"H-He's just fooling around." Zukto hurriedly explained.

"Hm, am I?" Kyoshiro shrugged.

"I think we better watch out. I have a feeling that Kyoshiro is the over-protective kind of big brother." Link laughed, teasing him.

"Haha, very funny. Although, Maren would probably agree with you."

"Shall we retire for the night? I am feeling quite exhausted. Let us return to the Castle. I will show you to the Guests' quarters." Zelda, pulling her cloak on again to hide her face, lead the way back to the Palace.

 _I don't think she was pretending. I think she was genuinely happy back there to be reunited with part of her extended family. I wonder though why she reacts so poorly around her blood father, and not her uncle. What is so different between the two of them? Zelda seems to be perfectly fine respecting Impa's authority… but not her father's. Has her father ever did anything or said anything that eventually pushed her to this point? I would have to assume that something did happen. She would not be mad at him for no reason, right? But this is definitely a topic I have to step lightly around._ Zukto thought as they weaved their way through side streets in the dark. Only an occasional street lamp lit their path, though Zelda knew her way around town well enough that Zukto was not really worried. They stayed quiet as they walked back.

When they arrived at the front gates to the Castle, the guards welcomed the group back and let them pass.

"Hey, is it okay if I get a servant to take you to our spare rooms? I am so tired, and I need to get out of these clothes." Zelda got the attention of one of the nighttime servants and left her friends in her capable hands. She walked back to her room by herself, feeling drained.

 _Peace and quiet, thank the Gods… I need some time to be alone after everything that happened today._ Zelda hung up her large cloak and then began to remove the pieces of her outfit one by one. She felt great relief when she untied the laces of her bodice.

"Oh Gods, those things are torture. That is why I am so fond of the outfit that Impa helped me make years ago."

Zelda removed all of her layers and put on a long night gown in their place. Compared to everything she had been wearing earlier, Zelda could barely feel the gown; it was nearly weightless. She took a minute to wash the makeup off of her face and clean her teeth before allowing herself to collapse into her bed.

"Okay… this thing is actually really comfortable; much better than sleeping slumped over a desk, against walls or trees, or whatever else is available. No one wake me, please…" She muttered to herself, snuggling into the warm blankets. It was not long before she drifted off to sleep.

The guys all had their own rooms, which was an unusual arrangement for them. Kyoshiro did not mind having space to himself, as he would be able to go straight to sleep without feeling obligated to talk to anyone.

Link, while getting ready for bed, remembered about the conversation he had with Zukto back in the Shadow Temple.

 _Perhaps tomorrow, Zukto and I ought to go down to the dungeons. If Zelda is busy reading in the library, she won't notice us if we just take a quick look. I'll ask Zukto about it before we rejoin the group._

Zukto sat up in bed, staring at the opposite wall.

 _It is crazy how Zelda's moods can change so much. Just earlier this afternoon, she was livid with me. When she went off on her own, Demise was trying to control her. And then when her sister freaked out at her… but despite all that, we somehow managed to end the day on a good note anyway. I wonder if this has something to do with how she was raised. If she was raised to suppress her emotions, it might not be a stretch to say that her resentment over having to temper everything about herself is part of why she has such drastic mood swings. The King said that she values her freedom… so whenever she perceives that something may interfere with her she gets hostile. Is that hostility something that comes from her naturally, or something that comes from Demise?_ Eventually, Zukto told himself to stop thinking or else he would never be able to sleep.


	19. Her Grace and The Origin of Darkness

Zelda was walking through a strange place. There were no other people around, and she could not discern the details of anything. It was as if she was in a space not of the natural world. As she wandered around in silence, she stumbled upon three others.

There were two women and one male. One of the women, oddly enough, looked exactly like her. The other woman looked an awful lot like one of the previous Zeldas, and the lone male was a monster of a person. He was several feet taller than both of the ladies, with blazing hair and strange scales growing from the majority of his body. He did not look mortal, that much Zelda was sure of. It seemed like the three of them could not see her: the monstrous man was busy fighting with the blonde Zelda look-alike, paying no mind to either of the black-haired Zeldas. The other black-haired Zelda was doubled-over on the ground, clearly in pain. The blonde Zelda was desperately trying to fight back against the demonic man, but Zelda could sense that the blonde one was at a disadvantage. She stayed back, nervous about what might happen if the scary man could suddenly see or detect her.

After a minute more of fighting, the giant man dealt a decisive blow against the blonde woman. She collapsed to the ground. When he turned to look at Zelda's double, the double whimpered. He wordlessly approached her and kneeled down to be closer to her. He roughly grabbed her face and stared into it. Before long, the woman's body went limp.

 _Who am I? Where do I come from?_ A woman's voice echoed around Zelda, its origin unknown.

"Who you are is of no consequence. Join with me. Our flesh will be as one, and I will roam the world once again!" The monstrous man spoke out loud, in response to the disembodied voice.

 _Who I am is of no consequence? Is that true of everyone?_

"If you want purpose, then my purpose shall be your purpose. I want nothing short of the subjugation of all beings: everyone will bow before me. Help me attain my desires!"

 _What does it mean to have a purpose? Does everyone else have a purpose?_

"No! You must not listen to this man! I can feel it in his soul: he is evil incarnate! Do not give in to the darkness!" Zelda finally yelled out. With a start, she realized that the man had heard her. He was staring straight at her.

"This is none of your business, worm. I destroyed this girl's sense of self… and it seems that now I must do the same to you. No one can interfere." He said darkly, slowly approaching.

 _N-no! I cannot let him catch me!_ Zelda was frightened, and tried to run. In her fear, though, she could not move her legs. The man's intense stare felt like it burned right through her. Right before he reached her, realization lit up her face.

"By the Gods; you are the Demon King Demise!"

Her vision faded.

Zelda's eyes flew open. She was gasping for breath, quickly scanning the room she was in.

 _Okay, I have to calm down… it was another dream… first I am dreaming from Ganondorf's perspective, and now I see Demise? What the hell does this all mean?_ Zelda slowly made her way to the edge of her bed and hung her legs off the edge.

 _Who can I talk to about this? There is no way that I can tell my Father. I also do not want to tell Master Impa, or Zukto, or Kyoshiro, or Link… they would be so shocked, and worried… I do not want them to be worried about something they cannot control. So then, I just have to keep quiet about all this; not that I have not kept secrets before._

 _Ah, Princess, you seriously think you can go on acting like the martyr? The tragic heroine? The thing is, you cannot be the tragic heroine… because you are actually the villainess._ Someone's voice echoed in her head.

"Y-you again! You were talking to me yesterday too…!" Zelda scowled.

 _You cannot be rid of me: I exist inside of your mind._

"This is my mind and my body; surely you have your own? Why are you here?"

 _I need you._

"Just because you need me does not mean that I will agree to help you."

 _Foolish girl, you misunderstand. What makes you think that I will give you a choice in the matter?_

"Wh-who are you, anyway?"

 _What, we have not figured it out yet? Hmhm… Princess Zelda, I am the Demon King Demise._

"N-no! So all of those dreams…?"

 _Yes, you had those dreams because of me._

"H-how long… how long have you been here?!"

 _Ever since you fought with Ganondorf. He put that lovely mark on your face, and gave you those red eyes and dark hair. I did not want some innocent-looking girl to do my bidding, so we changed your face. You look so much better this way, so much more terrifying._ Demise's laughter rang through her mind.

"Why do you need me, anyway? You are the Demon King: surely, your strength exceeds mine."

 _Too right you are. My strength does surpass yours, but throughout history I've seen time and time again that my Power cannot lead me to victory against the combined might of Wisdom and Courage. Typically, the bearer of Courage is some nobody who gets picked by the Gods to stand against me, so I did not want to try to interfere with whomever the hero would be. It would waste too much time just to find out who Courage was. No, I thought of a better plan. Wisdom gets passed down in your bloodline, the bloodline of Hyrule's Royal Family. And of course, everyone makes such a big deal out of anything that involves the Royal Family. While everyone was so excited about the soon-to-be Princess, I met with a man named Kkladekk. Originally, he was going to threaten the King to make him give you up, but—_

"W-wait a second! What did you just say?! So you are telling me that the reason I grew up away from the Castle was because you went after my Father?!"

 _Correct. Isn't it too bad that no one ever told you?_ Demise taunted.

"Clearly your stupid plan did not work." Zelda pointed out, feeling smug.

 _It was only a temporary snag. Your Father did manage to hide you from us for ten years, but then Kkladekk intercepted a letter bound for the Palace. Using that letter, we found out where you were staying. I immediately sent Ganondorf to your home in the Village and had him kill your parents. If you had been there, I also would have had him kidnap you. The stupid Gods somehow knew we were coming, though, so they kept you away from the house when Ganondorf arrived. I would say that you should thank them, but… this whole scenario has worked quite well for me otherwise._

"What do you mean, exactly?" Zelda narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

 _You got so angry over the death of those worthless mortals. The older you got, the more fervent your desire for revenge became. I had Kkladekk slip your annoying mentor, the Shadow Sage, an anonymous tip about Ganondorf's whereabouts. At first I was not sure whether or not she would pass the info onto you… amazingly, she did. And you proved to everyone just how focused you had become on your parents' killer… you blindly went after Ganondorf. Well, it was a trap the entire time: we knew you were coming. I had Ganondorf place that curse on you, which transferred a part of my soul into your body. And ever since then… I have slowly been erasing your memories._

"Y-you… you are the cause of everything! You have **ruined** my life!"

 _Ruined is such a harsh word. Actually, Princess, I should correct you: your life hasn't even begun yet. We have a lot of work to do._ Demise chuckled.

"I-I will not help you!" Zelda declared.

 _Like I said, girl. You have no choice in the matter. I will take control of you, and with Wisdom and Power combined we will finally defeat Courage._

"I-I will tell everyone what you just told me." She warned, feeling a bit nervous.

 _They already know. They already know that my soul is infecting you. They know that Demise is the reason for your failing memory. They know that Ganondorf is my puppet. Oh, and I suppose while we're at it I can tell you that Kkladekk, the man who's been helping me with my plans since before you were born, is Zukto's older brother._

"Wh-what…?" Zelda felt her heart skip a beat.

 _Oh, you did not know any of that? Hm, wonder why they were hiding stuff like that from you…?_

"They… they knew… they knew all this time?!" Zelda stood up, feeling her anger bubble up inside of her.

 _What will you do about it, hm?_

"How dare they go behind my back, keeping all of these secrets!"

 _How about we pay them a visit, hm? We can, ah, have a 'discussion' with them._

Zelda, influenced by Demise's will, started getting ready. She pulled on her full body suit, boots, bracers, and asymmetrical cape. Within moments, she had braided her long hair. To complete the look, Zelda pulled her cowl up to her head, obscuring her face and revealing the large, red Sheikah eye on the front of it. Most of her outfit would be indistinguishable in the darkness, save for the bright eye.

 _Just follow my guidance. I know exactly where they are…_ Demise whispered to her. Zelda, quietly slipping out of her room, began to move through the deserted hallways. It was still early in the morning, earlier than when most people would be awake. The only light that Zelda had was the occasional beam of moonlight, but she knew the interior of the Castle well.

As Zelda was nearing a corner, someone's voice called out to her.

"Who-who's there?!" It was a little girl's voice. Zelda slowly turned around, still under Demise's influence, to see who had noticed her. It was Azera.

 _Kill her._ Demise ordered. Zelda slowly walked over to the little girl, not questioning his command.

"Y-you! You're the fake Zelda! Wh-what are you doing up late at night? I knew it: you're here to cause trouble!" She declared, looking obstinate.

"Foolish girl… you would have lived had you only kept your mouth shut." Zelda felt compelled to say.

"Wh-wha…?" The girl cowered. Zelda, using her signature technique, manipulated her shadow. One of her arms stretched out and grabbed Azera's shadow by the throat. At first, Zelda stood there mechanically as she slowly choked Azera out. But as Azera was gasping for breath and crying, something clicked in her brain.

"Oh dear Gods, no!" Zelda cried out, her senses returning to her. She released Azera from her grip, but she could feel Demise trying to manipulate her again. Azera, noticing that she was not being attacked anymore, looked up at Zelda in fear and surprise.

"No! I… will… not… let… you… hurt… my sister!" Zelda growled, looking for a way to interrupt Demise's focus. She spotted a suit of armor not too far from them; once again manipulating her shadow, she stretched out her arm so that she could take the statue's fake weapon away.

 _Foolish girl, now I can just use this against her. Shall I bludgeon her in the head over and over again?_

"You will keep your filthy hands off of my sister, you monster. This ends now." Zelda declared, feeling resolute as she wielded the armor's sword in her right hand.

 _If you insist on manipulating me for your own benefit, then I will just kill myself. No more games, no more deceit. It is better that I die than continuing to live and possibly hurting my family._

Using her technique on her own shadow, Zelda sharpened the shadow of the dull blade and used it to run herself through. She sank to her knees, coughing up blood.

"A-Azera… you… are safe… now…" Zelda gasped, before collapsing to the ground.

"Nooooooo!" Azera screamed, crying hysterically. As Azera was panicking, anyone who had been sleeping in that wing of the Castle came out of their rooms to see what was wrong. A throng of people began to gather around her, disturbed by what they saw. Dimly, the Triforce of Wisdom was lit up on the back of Zelda's right hand. In no time, servants were rushing around trying to find healers, the King, and Zelda's partners.

Azera had not left her sister's side.

"Pl-Please… please… don't be dead… come back… you have to come back…" Azera sobbed grossly, gasping in between her words.

Finally, word had reached Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro about what had happened. In a panic, they all rushed to where servants said Zelda had collapsed.

"Oh Gods… it's actually true…" Link muttered, turning his back on the gruesome scene.

"Z-Zelda… please tell me… that this isn't happening…" Zukto's body felt numb.

"… How… how could this happen… she's my sister…! Bring my sister back!" Kyoshiro yelled angrily, trying to fight back tears of frustration. Azera looked up at the three guys.

"Y-your friend… she… she… attacked herself… to save me…!" Azera choked out the words in between sobs.

"Azera, come here. Zelda is not just our friend; she is your sister. And she loves you so, so much. That is why she did this." Zukto drew the girl close to him, hugging her firmly. She cried even more, clutching at his shirt.

"She… she looks so different now… but I could tell when she stood there, talking to the bad guy. She sounded so strong and confident… and then I could feel it in her soul… she really was my sister." Azera explained, feeling angry with herself.

Finally, a healer appeared.

"Stand clear." The healer pressed a finger against Zelda's throat, trying to feel a pulse. Zukto tried not to trick himself into hoping that she would still be alive; after all, her wound was in her chest.

"I am afraid that I cannot detect a pulse. The Princess is dead." The healer declared, backing away from her body. Azera, still crying, let go of Zukto and walked over to her sister.

"S-someone… remove the sword in her chest." Azera muttered.

"Wh-what?!" Link, Zukto, and Kyoshiro all stared at her in surprise.

"I order someone to remove that sword! I am going to save her!" The girl declared fiercely. Everyone was shocked, but the healer came to his senses first.

"As you command, Princess Azera." He firmly gripped the sword and pulled it out of Zelda.

 _Where… am I… am I… dead…?_ Zelda could feel her consciousness floating along, unaware of where she was. Suddenly, a person materialized in front of her. The woman looked a lot like one of the former Zeldas.

"Princess Zelda, I saved your life. You are not dead." The other Zelda explained.

 _H-how… could you possibly save me? I stabbed myself. I did it to quiet Demise forever._

"You did stab yourself, and I could tell that you indeed wanted to sacrifice yourself in order to save your sister. In response to the love you feel for that girl, you awakened my powers."

 _Your… powers? What do you mean?_

"I am Goddess Hylia. Millennia ago, after suffering a fatal injury at the hands of my nemesis, Demise, I chose to reincarnate myself as a mortal girl. The mortal girl whose body my consciousness ended up in was named Zelda. Ever since then, I have occasionally shown myself when various descendants of that first Zelda have had to battle against Demise.

Since you are caught up in my struggle against Demise, my consciousness has been inside of you this entire time. Only now, though, were you able to invoke my powers. You will be incredibly weak, but you have survived your injury; I cannot afford to lose you.

I should explain that your death would actually hasten Demise's ascension to power. Every time that Demise has tried to subjugate my people, I was able to fend him off with a combination of the bearer of Courage and Wisdom. Had you died tonight, you would have accomplished nothing: Demise himself would still be alive because most of his soul still resides within the bearer of Power. Since Demise would still be alive, he could then easily overtake Courage. Courage needs Wisdom's aide in order to defeat Demise. So it is for this reason that you have been spared. Do not let down your guard, my child: Demise still exists within your mind." With that, Hylia's form disappeared and Zelda felt like she was falling into an endless abyss.

Azera had been sitting next to her sister, focusing as hard as she could. Small lights were flowing from her fingertips towards Zelda, and the two sisters were bathed in a mystical light that came from a sigil that had appeared on the ground. Zelda's wound on her chest had sealed up thanks to Azera's magic, but the older princess still gave no signs of life.

"A-Azera? Are you okay? You have been using a lot of magic power, and your sister is not…" Zukto began, feeling horrible. The young girl clearly had a talent, but as far as he knew there was no way that Zelda could have survived her wound.

"B-be quiet! I will save her!" Azera declared, clearly looking tired. Suddenly, someone sat down on their knees next to Azera.

"M-mommy!" The girl was surprised. Azera's mother, the Queen, also held her hands above Zelda's body. The sigil that appeared under Zelda thanks to Azera's magic suddenly expanded, covering the width of the hallway.

"Azera, you are such a strong and brave girl. Your sister will come back to us, and she will know about what a great job you did. Allow your mother to help you now." The Queen poured her magic into Zelda. The light that spilled forth from her spell was nearly blinding.

 _Gods… her magic is so powerful._ Link thought in awe. Zukto was still not sure how the Queen could help. Even though her magic was impressive, how would it help someone who had already died? Even though he thought like that, something kept him from walking away. He was going to see it through to the end.

No one could see her face clearly because of the strong light bathing her. Zelda's eyes slowly opened, though the intense light made her want to shut them again. She could tell that people were standing over her, so she reached out. As soon as she felt something, she grabbed it. Azera gasped and stopped using her magic. Weakly holding onto her was Zelda! She was alive!

"S-Sister! Sister!" Azera started to cry again, tears of relief falling down her face. Zelda slowly sat up, though she winced in pain.

"I… I need to stop getting hurt." She joked.

"Sister! Shut up! You are not funny!" Azera glared daggers at Zelda.

"Okay, okay! You should take it easy on your older sister, okay? I apologize."

"Well… I know that you did that for me… so I forgive you this time. But you are not allowed to do that anymore!"

"Understood. Come here." Zelda gently hugged Azera because her chest was still sore.

"Thank you, sis…" Azera sobbed into Zelda's shoulder. Zelda gently stroked the young girl's hair.

"Azera, come see your mother. I think Zelda's friends would like to talk to her now." The Queen nodded at Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro.

"Your Majesty, thank you so much." Zukto muttered.

"No need to thank me. Azera did all the hard work." Zelda's mother chuckled a bit.

Zelda's three friends all got down on their knees in front of Zelda.

"Please… can you tell us what in Nayru's name happened?" Zukto was hoping that she had not lost her memory again. Zelda looked away from them, afraid of how they were going to react.

"Y-you see… the voice started speaking to me again." She started. She took a deep breath, and then continued.

"He revealed himself to me as the Demon King Demise. He was telling me that I had no choice but to help him, and he took control of my body. He first wanted me to find you three and kill you, I think. While I was looking for you, my sister Azera noticed me in the hallway. Demise told me to go after her, so I did. I did hurt her a bit, but while I was hurting her I realized what I was doing. I was able to fight him off, and then I… I decided that the only way to save my sister was to kill myself." Zelda's voice dropped to almost a whisper when she reached the final part. Her three friends were floored.

"Wh-why did you come to that conclusion?" Zukto asked.

"Demise kept saying to me that we were already one in the same, that he was a part of me. I figured that if Demise was a part of me, then he would… he will just try to hurt you again! And thinking about him, about me actually, hurting anyone close to me… I thought that, instead of give Demise more opportunities, it would be better if I…"

"But, you are still here. How did that wound not kill you?" Link questioned in amazement.

"… Goddess Hylia revealed herself to me. She told me that she has been dormant within me this entire time. I was only able to invoke her powers to save my own life because I was so determined to save my sister when I attacked myself. And Goddess Hylia also said that my death would not be enough to stop Demise. Hylia believes that Demise can only be stopped if I am alive, so she made sure that I would survive."

"Did you say Goddess Hylia?! H-how do you feel?" Zukto asked.

"H-How do I feel? I feel the same as I have, except I am in a bit of pain. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I… first, I think I owe you an apology. Princess Zelda, I've known for a little while that Demise exists inside of you. Demise himself actually took control of you and spoke to us right after you suffered a fatal injury. You know, the injury that happened right before you lost your memories? The reason why you survived your injuries before is because Demise healed you. But I can see this time that you did not want that to happen. Perhaps we need to focus on doing what we can to prevent Demise from controlling you. And Demise is clearly not the only one who has healing powers: Hylia protected you from an otherwise fatal injury. So if we can focus on suppressing Demise and drawing Hylia out…"

"Zukto… there is no need for you to apologize. You did not want to come out and tell me right away because of how vulnerable I have been, right? I cannot blame you. I just wish that I could get my memories back. That is what I would like more than anything else." Zelda looked pensive.

"Hey… Princess, it would… mean a lot to me if… if you accept this from me." Zukto stammered, reaching behind his neck. He unclasped the necklace, and pulled it out from under his shirt. He held it up for Zelda to see it. She gasped.

"Z-Zukto, h-how long have you…?"

"Now, now, you want me to reveal my secrets? How about you try it on?"

"Y-yes, I would like to. Can you help me?" Zelda turned her back to Zukto. Since her long hair was braided, it was quite easy for Zukto to put it on. Zelda looked down at the crescent moon-shaped pendant attached to the lightweight, gold chain.

"I love it, Zukto. Really. This is the first thing someone has given me who was not already part of my family." Zelda blushed happily, looking over at him.

"How do you feel, now?"

"Eh? Why do you keep asking? Are you expecting me to drop dead or something? You do not have to worry about me right now, you know. I feel pretty okay."

"I think we all need to worry about you more often, clearly. All we do is turn our backs for just a moment, and you are already getting yourself into trouble." Someone's voice traveled down the hallway. Everyone looked up, and saw the King of Hyrule standing just a few feet away from them. He looked exhausted.

"F-Father… Father, I… I want to talk to you in private later, okay?" Zelda requested.

"Oh? This is something I was not expecting. Very well, my daughter. But in the meantime… can you please explain what transpired here so early in the morning?" The King looked at her expectantly. Zelda immediately retold her father the same thing she told Zukto and the others.

"… You wanted to sacrifice yourself for the sake of Azera? Zelda… you are my daughter, just like Azera is. I do not want you to assume that I value her more than I value you. Nothing could be further from the truth. You do understand me, correct? I must thank Hylia for watching over you, however, because I would have been devastated to lose you. But you want to talk to me in private, so perhaps I will wait until then." The King, nodding at her and her companions, silently disappeared.

 _Father… I had so much contempt for you before… but suddenly… I feel like… my mind! I did not notice it until now, but my mind is so clear! And, and…_ Zelda's eyes widened in surprise as she realized something: every single thing that she had ever experienced, every memory, had been returned to her!

"Aaahh, oh merciful Gods… I remember everything now! I remember!" Zelda started to cry softly, feeling relieved. Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro looked at each other, feeling elated.

"Do you remember when we first met?!" Kyoshiro burst out, hardly able to contain himself.

"Yes, I do! I attended to you in that small clinic in Castle Town! Can you believe that I helped my older brother before I even knew who you were?!"

"Heh, how's that for divine intervention? The Gods wanted us to be reunited!"

"I think more than anything, the Gods wanted me to get you back on track. You were a huge troublemaker at first." Zelda teased, laughing.

"I can't deny it." Kyoshiro laughed too.

"Princess, do you remember when we met?" Zukto asked, hopeful that she did.

"Of course I do. You know, I thought it was really strange even back then when I met you. I could tell that there was something different about you, but I never once asked where you were from. Of course, that would have been quite the conversation if you had told me that you were from the Desert. I would not have believed you." Zelda smiled.

"You always have been too analytical for your own good." Zukto laughed.

"A-also, um… Zukto…" Zelda was averting her eyes, blushing.

"Y-yes?"

 _She probably remembers the times when I have kind of mentioned having feelings for her. Ugh, but does she have to bring that up in front of everyone?_

"I... I think we have something we will have to discuss later." Was all she said, smiling shyly.

"U-Understood." Zukto nodded, unable to keep himself from smiling.

"S-Sister! That guy is not going to take you away from us, right?" Azera piped up, looking concerned. Zelda turned to look at her younger sister and laughed.

"Oh, no, of course not! I do not want to leave you! That is a promise." Zelda kissed her younger sister on the cheek, which made the young girl blush furiously.

"O-okay! A promise! I won't ever let you forget it!" She declared, puffing her chest importantly. The Queen laughed.

"Zelda… let me know when you have finished speaking to your Father." After making her request, she stood up and walked off with Azera in tow. Azera was quickly fading since she used so much energy trying to revive her older sister.

It was just the four adventurers now.

"Everyone, I request that we start over. My name is Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. I had a unique childhood, because I was raised to believe that I was actually a commoner. When I got older, my father found me and revealed to me who I really was. I kind of wish that I had been told the truth from the beginning, but… something you learn as you get older is that even telling the truth has consequences. I am trying to forgive my father for what happened, so… it is nice to meet you, and I hope that we can work together from now on." She nodded at them.

"Zelda, well met. My name is Kyoshiro. I lived in an orphanage for a while. When I got adopted, I felt like I did not fit into my new family. One day, my adoptive family was in trouble. I decided to do what I could to keep them safe, which almost cost me my life. As luck would have it, or as the Gods would have it, or whatever, someone came and saved me. He saved me, hoping to recruit me as a bounty hunter. I decided to work with him for a while, until I met two people who would eventually become irreplaceable to me. Oh, yes, and I found out that I have one more sister than I realized."

"Kyoshiro and Zelda, my name is Link. I live with my grandfather in the Kokiri Forest. Since it was just the two of us, my grandfather taught me from a young age how to use various tools and weapons to help make work easier and so that I could defend myself if necessary. We lived there, only hunting what we needed to eat and trying not to waste anything. I taught myself how to play the ocarina. I had fun enough exploring the woods and living with my grandfather, so I never really thought about much else. As I got older though, I got more and more curious about what the world was like beyond the Forest. As luck would have it, or fate I suppose, the Goddesses asked me to help them investigate some stuff. Because of that, I was able to meet you guys."

"Kyoshiro, Link, and Zelda, my name is Zukto. I come from a strange land called Charcai. My homeland is in flux thanks to this powerful artifact that was found some years ago. I comfortably lived there with my family, never really thinking of leaving. One day though, my older brother disappeared. My parents looked for him for a while, but could not find him. Then my parents stopped coming home. At the time, I was seventeen. I spent a little more time at home, wondering what had happened to everyone. Before I could make up my mind to search for them, I found myself here in Hyrule. I could not speak your language, but luckily the woman who found me took me in and helped me get used to life in this new world. Goddess Din would later contact me and tell me to find you guys. The rest is history, as they say."

"Now that we have that taken care of… who wants to sleep some more?" Zelda asked, laughing.

"You don't have to ask me twice." Kyoshiro muttered. Everyone laughed at him.

"Thank the Gods that we met." Zelda said, looking at her friends before leaving for her room. Zukto stared after her.

"Ahem." Kyoshiro pretended to clear his throat to get Zukto's attention. Zukto looked over at Kyoshiro, raising an eyebrow.

"I see how you're staring at her." Kyoshiro commented.

"Does it bother you that I am looking at her?" Zukto asked incredulously.

"Hey now, watch it. That's my younger sister who you're ogling."

"Wow, really Kyo? You only found that out a few hours ago and you're already holding it over my head?" Zukto laughed.

"You better believe it! I have an entire twenty years of missed opportunities that I need to make up for."

"Y'know, your 'precious sister' is a grown woman now."

"She may be grown up, but… y'know, considering what happened to my birth mother… I feel like you can't be too careful. N-not that I am suggesting that you would put Zelda through that! I'm just saying in general!" Kyoshiro hastily explained.

"Yeah, yeah. At ease, soldier. Let's get some shut eye." Zukto headed back to his room, Link and Kyoshiro in tow.

Zelda was finally not plagued by nightmares, dreams, visions, or strange voices while she slept. When she woke up later in the morning, she felt more rested than she had in a while.

 _I feel so calm, so focused, so… heh, happy. I feel happy._ Zelda rang for her maids, wanting assistance with dressing herself. She was going to speak with her Father first thing, and knew that he would appreciate it if she dressed like a Princess. Zelda chose to wear the same outfit she had worn on the first day they came to the castle, except this time Zukto's gift was hanging around her neck. She had not removed it at all during the night, so her maids noticed it right away when they were helping her dress.

"What is this?!"

"It is just a necklace. You said that I should have one."

"But you told us that they were pointless! Why the sudden change in heart, hm?" They teased.

"Ch-change of heart? What change of heart?" Zelda stammered, blushing.

"I knew it! A man gave this to you! Why, our dear Zelda is finally noticing men!" The maids merrily laughed and joked, causing Zelda's blush to grow.

"It-it is not a matter of noticing them or not! Just, most men do not meet my standards…"

"But there is one that does! What is his name? Is it one of the guys who brought you here?! They were all very handsome, so it must be one of them!" The women kept gossiping back and forth and making jokes. Ordinarily, Zelda would have gotten angry or impatient with them. Instead, she tried to understand why they were getting excited. She had to admit that their job was not particularly engaging, at least from her point of view. Perhaps the gossiping and the joking was how they were able to occupy themselves while serving her. And for many people, the prospect of a new marriage in the Royal Family was something worthy of discussion and celebration.

 _Even still, no one knows about me. I want to speak to Father about that today._

The maids dressed Zelda, styled her hair, and applied makeup. When they were satisfied with their work, Zelda excused herself to find her father.

"Good morning, Princess."

"Good day to you, Princess Zelda."

"Have a blessed day, Princess."

As she passed through the halls, many servants greeted her. She nodded and smiled at each one of them. Before, she tended to ignore them. Thinking about it, Zelda realized that she had been quite rude. Even if she had personal problems that needed to be attended to, that did not mean she could treat these people poorly.

When Zelda was in a hallway that did not get much traffic, she pulled out her Gossip Stone.

"Father."

"Zelda?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"No. I assume you would like to speak now? Let us meet in my study."

"Already there."

Zelda put the Gossip Stone away and hurried to his study. Like she suspected, she arrived first. She sat in a chair, glancing around the room. For some reason, she started imagining her father sitting at the desk. What sort of business did he attend to while here? At the very least, he must have used the spacious desk to write letters. With a start, Zelda remembered the conversation she had with Demise; Demise told her that Zukto's brother intercepted a letter, and the letter directed them to her home in Kakariko.

 _Ah! Was my birth father sending letters to my adoptive parents? Since our old house burned down, unfortunately that stuff is gone. But perhaps… perhaps my father has the old letters that my adoptive parents sent!_ Excitement welled up inside of her thinking about it.

After about ten minutes, the door opened and Zelda's father appeared. Zelda stood up, smiling.

"Good morning, Zelda."

"Good morning, Father. First, I ought to apologize for making you worry last night."

"Apology accepted, my dear. Now, what is on your mind?"

"Before the incident last night, Demon King Demise spoke to me. He told me that… that he and a man named Kkladekk threatened you when I was a newborn. Is it true?"

"… It is true. Kkladekk appeared before me on the day of your birth. He presented me with an ultimatum: either I surrender my daughter, or he was going to start killing the people who lived in Castle Town. I have always prided myself at being stoic and resourceful… so I took advantage of the fact that Kkladekk, to my knowledge, did not know what you looked like. I returned to your mother, who was holding you. I told her that you were not safe staying at the Castle; already I was thinking of how I could spirit you away from the Castle.

When that man approached me, I could tell immediately that he had control of terrifying magic. The plan I came up with was this: I would take a baby from a servant girl who had just been born and pass that child off as you. As the Gods would have it, this servant girl's daughter was a day older than you but she passed away the very day you were born. I found this servant girl, explained the situation, and got her to agree to give up her daughter.

I brought the girl before Kkladekk and announced that unfortunately, the girl my wife gave birth to was stillborn. He took my word for it, seeing the dead child in my hands. After all, why would I just have a dead child sitting around? Kkladekk left, oddly calm about everything. After he left, I took you down to the orphanage. There was a couple there looking to adopt a child. I pulled them aside and requested that they take you in. From that day, you were raised as Azera instead of Zelda. I kept in regular contact with them, eager to know about your progress."

"I kind of… wish that you would have told me from the beginning." Zelda sighed deeply.

"I wanted to tell you, I really did. When I went to meet with you for the first time, though, you were so angry with me. Seeing you like that, I lost face. I thought that if you moved to the Castle, you would come to trust me more. Somehow, my prediction was way off the mark. As you grew older, you came to despise me even more. I could have understood it if you had been cursed by Demise even back then, but Demise's curse only affected you recently. I agonized over what could have possibly created the divide between us… and no matter what I did, I could not bridge it. It was as if you had decided that you could not let anyone into your heart." The King explained, looking distressed. Zelda's heart sank; he was not exaggerating.

"Father, I have regained all of my memories. I assume that Zukto told you about me? Demise was manipulating me, and erasing my memories. Now that I have all of my memories again, I understand that what you are saying is true: I did harbor a lot of hatred for you, a hatred that only grew more intense as I got older. It is not an exaggeration to say that my hatred consumed me. But I assure you that my mind is clearer than it has been for quite some time. I wanted to talk about my past today, but also… I was hoping that I could begin to repair our relationship. From now on, I pledge to carefully consider your perspective before I allow my temper to control my behavior. Considering that I will eventually succeed to the throne, I humbly request that you allow me to be involved in the affairs of state."

"Z-Zelda… this is all so sudden. Your memories are back, then? How did this happen?"

"Y-you know… I do not actually know how it happened. Immediately after I recovered, I had not noticed anything. But then all of a sudden… it was after you left us. I noticed that all of my memories had come back. What could this mean?"

"Did Hylia restore your memories?"

"I have no idea, honestly. I suppose that I could try to ask her, although I have not yet figured out how to directly speak with her."

"For now, I am relieved that you are well. To know that you are well, and that your memories have returned, is a great comfort to me. I would be happy to slowly introduce you to the affairs of state, but… I cannot yet, not until we have officially announced your rights to the Hylian throne."

"Yes, about that. Father, when can we make the announcement?"

"When? Zelda, are you suggesting that you want to make the announcement now?"

"As soon as possible."

"Zelda, I honestly think that now is not the time. You are busy working with Zukto, Kyoshiro, and Link. Would not it be best if you continued to work with those three, free from the scrutiny of my subjects?"

"I suppose that remaining out of the public eye could make our work easier."

"If the situation changes, we may revisit this decision at a later date. For now, perhaps you ought to spend time with your mother and sister. I know that your sister in particular is impatient to speak to you again. Zelda, my daughter… never forget that life is precious." Without another word, the King turned away from his oldest daughter and left her alone in his study.

When Zukto woke up, he found that Link was already up.

"How are you feeling?" Link asked when Zukto joined him.

"Fine, yeah. I slept a little more. How about you?"

"Same here. So I was going to ask you if you would like to revisit our conversation from before."

"Conversation from before?"

"Remember, about the strange being that I saw in those moving portraits?"

"Oh, right. The being who wanted to be taken to the Dungeons? Think we should check it out?"

"I mean, if we are allowed to go down there then a quick look would not hurt."

"Should we bring Kyoshiro with us?"

"Is he up?" Link laughed.

"It wouldn't hurt to wait long enough for Kyo to get ready; let's take him with us. I figure that Zelda is already busy, so I'd feel bad leaving him by himself."

"Fair enough. Let me see what he's doing."

With Kyoshiro awake and prepared, the three journeyed down to the dungeons. Link explained everything to Kyoshiro before they left, ensuring that he understood the purpose of their trip.

"So this… thing… that we're looking for… how dangerous is it?" Kyoshiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hard to say. I am sure though that it is pretty dangerous, seeing as how one of my ancestors had to slay it. He would not have bothered with it otherwise, right? That's what I figure." Link pointed out.

"We leave it up to you, Link, to find him." Zukto nodded.

The three reached a wooden door at the bottom of a set of stairs. Zukto pushed it open, surprised to find it unlocked. On the other side of the door was a small, office-like space. An old table and chair were set up in the middle of the room. Sitting in the chair was a very bored-looking guard. It took him a minute to notice the three adventurers; he looked surprised to have guests. He stood up, eyeing his visitors carefully. Zukto stepped forward.

"Greetings. My name is Zukto; I am with Princess Zelda. I was wondering if we might be allowed to take a brief tour of the dungeons."

"Hmm… well, if you're with the Princess… I can probably allow it. Just, I am going to have to ask you to check your weapons here with me."

Link and Kyoshiro surrendered their swords, and Zukto his bow and arrows. With the weapons shut into a chest behind the guard's station, he motioned towards another door. Zukto lead the way through this door.

Another guard was standing near the door that everyone filed through. He raised an eyebrow at them.

"Can I help you?"

"The other guard said we could look around. We turned our weapons over to him, so we won't cause any trouble." Zukto explained. The other guard looked at them suspiciously, but did not say anything further. Link slowly began to walk through a row of cells, checking to see if he recognized anyone. A few of the prisoners laughed as Link walked by, amused by his garb. He focused as much as he could on the image of what he was searching for, trying to drown out the sounds of the taunting and jeering. As he neared the end of the row of cells, he noticed a prisoner who was acting like he did not notice the commotion caused by the others. He was sitting in perfect silence, with his back turned towards the bars of his cell. Link felt an ominous presence as he stared at the mysterious prisoner.

Despite his misgivings, he had no choice but to turn back and return to the others. As his back was turned, the prisoner slowly and quietly stood up. Without missing a beat, the prisoner stepped right through the bars of his cell. Suddenly, the whole room grew deathly silent. Link, feeling a strange tingling sensation racing along his skin, turned around. He was surprised to see someone standing behind him, as no one had been there moments before.

"I… I know you." The prisoner declared. At first he chuckled quietly, but within moments his laughter grew more crazed.

"What in Din's name?!" Link took a step back, alarmed at the man's behavior. To heighten his anxiety, he realized that the prisoner was exactly who he was looking for.

"Hero! Your head is mine!" The prisoner cried out, suddenly grabbing his own face and pulling at it. His skin stretched a bit, until it appeared that he literally pulled it off. Now, his head was nothing but a skull and two glowing lights where his eyes would have been.

"I am PHANTOM GANON!" The being declared, suddenly floating in air.

"Shit! Zukto! Kyoshiro! I found him!" Link yelled out to his friends as he tried to put distance between himself and the phantom.

"What in the name of the Goddesses is going on here?!" One guard demanded, noticing the noise.

"We got an evil spirit! You have anything to fight it with?!" Link hurriedly asked as he dodged out of the way of a ball of energy that flew straight towards him.

"Call for reinforcements! Reinforcements! We got a hostile!" One guard called out to the other one who was sitting at the desk. Zukto quickly ran over to the desk and retrieved their weapons from the man, assuring him that he and his friends would help fight the creature.

"Hero…! It is your fault that I was banished! You must pay with your life! After I finish with you, I will find Shadow next!" The phantom shouted, chasing after Link.

"Link, catch!" Zukto yelled, throwing Link his sheathed sword. Link caught his sheathe and continued to run, leading the phantom away from the other prisoners. Kyoshiro grabbed his weapon from Zukto and ran after Link.

"What in Din's name is that thing?!" One guard swore under his breath.

"Truth be told, my friends and I got a tip that this phantom thing was hiding down here: we came looking for it. Thank you for allowing us to track it down. We'll leave the prisoners to you, okay? I gotta help my friends fight that thing. But if you would, could you tell me the best place where we can take our fight? Where is a spot that normally does not get traffic?"

"No traffic, hm… the best thing you can do is to take it outside." The guard looked terrified, but he was trying to remain outwardly calm.

"We can do that. May the Goddesses protect you!" Zukto yelled over his shoulder as he hurried after his friends.

Link was doing his best to direct the phantom's attention. As he kept running, he would occasionally pass a servant. The phantom would get interested, but Link always covered the defenseless with his shield as they frantically ran away. It took a while, but finally Link stopped running when he put a bit of distance between himself and the Castle. The phantom was still hot on his trail, levitating several feet above the ground. Link noticed that Kyoshiro stopped just a few feet behind the phantom; they had him surrounded.

"So you will fight me, now? I thought you a coward for running!" The phantom quickly brandished a spear-looking weapon.

"We got you outnumbered, phantom! Why are you here?" Link readied his shield, assuming a defensive stance.

"My old Master banished me after you defeated me. I was eventually able to return to your world, but I was stuck thanks to my Master's magic. A man came to me and released me from that blasted Temple, allowing me to go where I pleased. The only condition of my freedom was that I was to cause some havoc in the capital!"

"Who released you?!"

"The glorious leader of Darkness Orb, Kkladekk…!"

"What?! Kkladekk released you?!" Link looked over at Kyoshiro, who was equally surprised.

"Enough talk!" The evil spirit shot another ball of energy at Link, who easily dodged out of the way.

"This sucks, the stupid thing is floating out of reach." Kyoshiro lamented.

"Link! Kyoshiro! You guys okay?" Zukto called out, finally catching up to them.

"We are fine! Get some arrows ready." Link suggested, also switching his sword out for his bow. The phantom quickly flew over to Link, causing him to duck behind his shield for protection.

"Link, just hold on!" In a minute, Zukto had transferred some spiritual energy to his arrow, aimed, and fired it towards the evil spirit. The arrow glowed with an orange light and pierced its target.

"Urrgghh… hehehehe, you will have to try harder than that." The phantom taunted, laughing menacingly. The attack did not seem to have any lasting effect on it. It turned now to face Zukto and Kyoshiro.

"Dammit, how do we destroy this thing?!" Kyoshiro looked quite annoyed. The phantom laughed before launching another ball of energy at the two adventurers. Zukto and Kyoshiro both dodged out of the way of the attack, hoping that the other one had a plan.

"Why are we fighting this thing alone, anyway?" Link questioned.

"I told the guards to stay away; this seemed way beyond their training." Zukto pointed out.

"Fair enough. Gods preserve us…" Link muttered under his breath.

"Sire! A Report!" One guard yelled as he closed in on the King.

"A report? Has something happened?" King Daphnes was perplexed.

"Your Majesty, we found a hostile phantom lurking in the Castle Dungeons! Three men are engaging the creature alone. They drew it out of the Castle proper, though they are still on the grounds."

"Three men? That must be Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro."

"We were given a warning by one of the men that the enemy is highly dangerous and possesses great magical powers."

"Thank you for finding me. I will make sure that we dispatch this phantom." The King immediately left the guard so that he could be alone. When there were no bystanders, he once again consulted his Gossip Stone.

"Zelda."

"Father? Is everything okay?"

"Unfortunately, no. I just received a report that there is a hostile phantom roaming the Castle grounds. Zukto, Link, and Kyoshiro are all fighting it; I figured that I should tell you."

"A-ah, thank you for telling me Father. Where is the phantom?"

"All I know for sure is that it is outside. Your friends wisely drew it away from the Castle."

"I shall look for it."

With that, the Gossip Stone grew dim.

 _A hostile phantom? What does that even mean?_ Zelda thought with reservation as she bade her mother a hasty goodbye. She had to find her friends.

"Boring! Boring! You look like the hero who defeated me ages ago, but I can see now that you are not the same one. The other one actually knew what my weakness was! But you, you know nothing; you cannot defeat me!"

"Damn, this thing is getting on my nerves." Kyoshiro muttered.

"We have not been able to so much as scratch it yet. How does this thing have so much power?" Zukto was concerned.

"You heard it just now though, yeah? It admitted that it has a weakness. We just need to figure out what it is!" Link declared, feeling hopeful.

 _I wish Zelda was here. Surely, she would have an idea of how to beat this thing._ Zukto quickly dodged out of the way of another magic attack from Phantom Ganon.

As Zelda ran through the Castle, she crossed paths with a guard who knew where her friends were. She was able to finally catch up to them, though she did not join the fight immediately.

 _That thing… it looks like Ganondorf! Wh-why?!_ Zelda was momentarily too stunned to do anything, but she forced herself to focus. The phantom was hovering above her friends, putting the swordsmen at a distinct disadvantage. She made a mental note that Zukto and Link were not bothering to use their bows. Had they somehow determined that arrows were ineffective against this enemy?

 _Think… you are Wisdom. It must have a weakness…_ As Zelda was trying to figure out how to defeat the phantom, it fired another ball of energy towards Link. Instead of dodging out of the way, Link held up his shield. The magic attack hit his shield and broke apart. Zelda's face lit up with realization.

"Link! Next time, you must send the phantom's attack back! He can be stunned with his own magic!" Zelda yelled as she ran towards everyone. The three, not expecting Zelda, looked over to her in surprise.

"Ah, Zelda, you think we can take him down with his own magic?" Link asked as she approached him.

"Yes. Your sword should be able to reflect his attack back at him. Just focus some of your magic power into your blade: when your sword glows, it will repel the ball of energy when you slice it." She explained.

"…! You! You know my weakness! And if my eyes do not deceive me, you are Shadow!" Phantom Ganon declared with glee, staring straight at the Princess.

"Do you still wish to fight us?" Zelda asked, narrowing her eyes.

"My only desire now is you." Phantom Ganon pointed his spear-like weapon at her.

"Why me?"

"Ah, Princess, stay away from him! He told us that Kkladekk is the one who released him!" Zukto warned.

"Wh-what?!"

"Heh… you don't remember me, do you?" Phantom Ganon suddenly asked.

"Remember you? Why in Din's name would I remember you?" Zelda stared at him suspiciously.

"I bet that I can help you remember… hehehehe…" Suddenly, the phantom's body glowed. When the light died down, Zelda stared in stunned silence at the person who floated before her.

"You! I stopped you before! You were stealing something in town." Zelda gritted her teeth.

"It was all part of my plan. I wanted to get captured and brought into the Castle. Since I am not a mortal, being starved or tortured while in the Dungeons meant nothing to me. Kkladekk asked me to wreak some havoc, and if possible… capture you!"

"But if your goal was to capture me this entire time, why did you let me get away from you on the day we met?"

"Kkladekk said that it was still too early."

"Too early? What does that even mean?"

"Heheheh, we cannot give away all of our secrets. You better defend yourself, you monster!" Phantom Ganon cried, changing his form from the person back to the Ganondorf double.

"I think you appeared one day too late, phantom! I am different than before; my mind and heart are no longer clouded by the hatred that stirred within me during our first meeting." Zelda assumed a defensive stance.

"Heheheh, I can still sense it. You have a brilliant aura of anger and hatred, though I admit that it is impressive how much you have been able to suppress it. No matter… I am sure that Master Kkladekk can coax it out of you before long!" Phantom Ganon fired another energy attack at Zelda, who blocked it easily with her barrier spell.

 _I know how to defeat him, but unfortunately I am unarmed. I cannot deflect his attack back at him without a weapon…_ Zelda frowned slightly.

 _What is this thing talking about? Zelda claims that her mind is clear now, but apparently our enemy can sense something that she cannot? I wonder if it has to do with Demise…_ Zukto could not help but feel nervous as he looked over at the Princess.

 _Princess, I believe I can help you with acquiring a weapon._ Wrath suddenly spoke inside of her mind.

 _Ah, there you are Wrath. I leave it to you, then._

As Wrath jumped out of Zelda's shadow, a glyph appeared underneath him. A faint light surrounded him, and his shadow slowly changed.

"Now, Princess! Take it from me!" Wrath commanded. Though he was not physically holding anything, his shadow was. Zelda stretched her shadow out to meet his, and grabbed the shadow weapon. When her shadow returned to her, she pulled something up from the ground. From the shadow that she retrieved from Wrath came an actual weapon, one that looked exactly like the weapon wielded by the phantom.

"Thank you, Wrath." Zelda gave the spear-like weapon a practice swing.

"So we are evenly matched, now? Excellent."

"Evenly matched? Hardly. Or have you forgotten the fact that I know to use your own magic against you?" Zelda countered, eyeing her foe expectantly.

"Your arrogance shall be your undoing, you demon." The phantom mocked.

"Your cheap taunting has no effect on me; the fight starts now!" Zelda quickly fired a ball of her shadow magic towards Phantom Ganon. He grinned gleefully.

"Let us begin the 'dead man's volley!' You have a lot of nerve to face me yourself, but that's exactly what Kkladekk likes about you." Phantom Ganon swung his spear-staff as Zelda's magic attack approached him, looking amused; on impact, her magic was redirected back at her. Zelda watched carefully, trying to gauge the speed of her attack. Mimicking Phantom Ganon, she swung her weapon at the ball of magic approaching her. When she hit it, it flew back towards her opponent. Phantom Ganon hit it back, and Zelda hit it back again. Everyone else watched the battle with bated breath. Neither the Princess nor the phantom would stand down, and their sense of timing was impeccable.

"I told you that we were evenly matched, did I not?" Phantom Ganon looked smug as they continued the volley.

"Tch." Zelda did not want to respond to him, but she could see now that she underestimated how difficult it would be to take this guy down. She had to come up with an idea soon, though, as she knew that she would get tired in time. Her opponent, on the other hand, did not have to concern itself with running out of energy.

 _Neither one of them is showing any indication of letting their guard down, so how long are they going to draw this out…?_ Zukto was concerned about how long Zelda could keep Phantom Ganon engaged.

 _Wait a second! I know exactly what to do to tip this battle in my favor…!_ Zelda grinned as she hit the ball of energy back at the phantom. This time, instead of waiting for him to hit it back to her, Zelda stretched out her shadow and grabbed onto his right arm. She restrained him, ensuring that he could not complete the volley. Her attack slammed into him, knocking him out of the sky. As he fell, Link and Kyoshiro both rushed him. He suffered a direct hit from both of the swordsmen, but still had some fight left.

"Heh… your powers are something else, Shadow; I can see why Master Kkladekk so desires you. I have no intention, however, of losing here today. Look forward to our next meeting, hmhmhmhm…" Phantom Ganon's body faded away, and his ominous laughter echoed slightly before dying down. The heroes all looked to one another.

"Thank the Gods you came along, Princess. It was hard enough for us just to keep avoiding all of his attacks. We had no idea how to go on the offensive." Zukto nodded appreciatively.

"May I ask how you guys encountered that thing?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we, uh…" Zukto began, not sure of what to say.

"I received a vision about him." Link explained matter-of-factly. It was not entirely true, but he was hoping that she would not concern herself with the finer details. She nodded slightly.

"Of course, I should have guessed. Anyway, perhaps we should all take this time to enjoy a somewhat late morning meal." The Princess suggested.

"That sounds good to me." Kyoshiro remarked, grinning. Zelda chuckled.

"Follow me." Zelda instructed as she headed back into the Castle. Zukto only followed after everyone else headed inside.

 _What that phantom said before is still bothering me; it said that it could sense a strong, evil aura emanating from the Princess. But now, as far as I can tell, she seems so calm and in control. The pendant I gave her is allowing her to keep Demise at bay, right? But perhaps that's all it can manage… perhaps Demise is still inside of her after all, just waiting for an opportunity to strike back… I hope that Zelda can stand against him when the time comes._

As everyone sat around a circular table, eating, Zukto marveled at how comfortable the atmosphere had become.

"Kyoshiro, I never really noticed before but it is astonishing how much you can eat." Zelda remarked, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah, I guess you didn't really hang around growing boys. This is not all that unusual." Kyoshiro declared, looking proud of himself for some reason.

"You'd eat anyone out of house and home." Link teased, laughing.

"Hey now, I think your appetite is just as big as mine!" Kyoshiro pointed out, sporting a 'you can't fool me' grin.

"You know… you guys are pretty much my only friends." Link suddenly said, smiling slightly. Everyone looked over at him, surprised.

"You seem like a pretty sensible and personable guy; why is it that we're your only friends?" Zukto asked.

"Well that's simple enough: my grandfather and I lived alone. There were no other kids in the Forest. So I grew up having to entertain myself mostly; we almost never left the Forest."

"I-I cannot blame you, Link. I am in a similar situation. I used to have friends when I was a young girl. But ever since Ganondorf murdered my parents, the villagers started distancing themselves from me. For the longest time, only Master Impa would willingly talk to me or spend time with me. I hated it…" Zelda sighed, looking pained.

"I guess I kind of had friends back at the BH? But honestly, I like you guys a lot more than I liked anyone back there. It feels like we're family, kind of." Kyoshiro looked away, his face reddening.

"If we believe what my Uncle says, we are indeed family." Zelda smiled.

"Not by blood, though…" Kyoshiro looked listless.

"Does that matter? My foster parents are not related to me by blood, but I truly loved them. Love for a person does not have to rely solely on blood ties." Zelda pointed out knowingly.

"I, I suppose. It's still hard for me, you know… this stubborn girl over here is actually my sister. My mind still has trouble accepting it." Kyoshiro mocked.

"Why is it so hard, hm? You are just as stubborn as I." Zelda teased.

"Ugh, it must be because of how we grew up."

"Perhaps you have a point. Our unique situations influenced our sense of independence more so than others'."

… _The Princess seems awfully fond of her foster parents… her foster mother was my actual mother… I kind of want to ask Zelda about mother, but not around everyone else._

"I think it is pretty funny that a group of misfits like us are all working together now." Zukto remarked, chuckling.

"Of course we have to work together… no one else wants anything to do with us." Zelda muttered.

"Hey now… that's not true, okay? For you especially." Zukto reached over and gently squeezed the Princess' hand.

"I… I know: you are right." Zelda had a momentary look of surprise when he first grabbed her hand, but she tried to act like nothing happened. She gently squeezed his hand in return.

"You are an accomplished magic-user. And yet, you still seem to lack self-confidence; it is rather peculiar." Link observed.

"It is easy for you to talk like that. It will not matter to you one way or the other what people whisper about behind your back. But as for me, court intrigue could very well harm my efforts as Queen one day. The lords would have plenty to gossip about: they could gossip about my upbringing, my absence from the Castle, about my appearance… anything they can use to discredit me."

"You cannot force people to behave… but instead of brooding about a couple of immature adults, how about you stack the deck in your favor?" Link suggested. Zelda tilted her head slightly at his suggestion, not immediately understanding what he was hinting at.

"I think what Link is suggesting is that you pick out some advisors whom you already trust to support you no matter what anyone else says." Zukto chimed in.

"Oh, I see… pick out some advisors, hm?" She repeated, looking at the people sitting at the table with her. She smiled.

"I may not be a member of the Royal Family, but since I am your older brother just leave any really obnoxious politicians to me! I'll set them straight real quick!" Kyoshiro declared, looking raring to go. Zelda laughed.

"So you will so easily declare yourself as my brother as long as it allows you to get into trouble?" She teased.

"Trouble? Hmph. If they start something first, then I'm not getting into trouble. I'd merely be sticking up for you. Someone has to look out for you, you know. I do realize that politics is mostly a game played by men. There will not be many, if any, women whom you can collaborate with. So the best thing you can do then is find some men who aren't completely full of themselves."

"You mean like you used to be?" Zelda teased more, giggling. Zukto felt his face get a little warm as he watched her; she was so cute.

"Hmph, you're lucky you're the Princess." Kyoshiro muttered. Link laughed.

"Honestly, there are no other people I would rather be with right now." Link nodded appreciatively at everyone.

"Well, speaking of our group… what is the plan today?" Zukto asked.

"We never really found out anything about the Darkness Orb, so we probably should refocus our attention on our investigation." Zelda said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"A lot has happened since yesterday; don't blame yourself, okay?" Zukto shot her a sympathetic glance.

"Well, I'm ready to go then." Link stood up, looking expectantly at everyone else. Kyoshiro joined him next, followed by Zukto and Zelda.

"Follow me." Zelda directed, once again leading everyone to the library.

"Kkladekk must be really serious about capturing me, for some reason. He… oh, right, I talked about this with only my father earlier so I should share it with you. I figured out that Kkladekk tried to blackmail my father the day I was born. He wanted my father to hand me over. I can only imagine that it was by the will of the Gods that a baby had been born one day before me; the baby perished the same day I was born, I think. My father found this baby, who had been born in the Castle, and showed it to Kkladekk. Since Kkladekk had not actually seen me, he had no way to know whether it was me or not. Apparently that was enough to get him to leave. But my father knew that Kkladekk would just come back if I remained in the Castle; that is the reasoning behind my being raised in Kakariko.

I still have not figured out how or why, but Kkladekk had not entirely given up on me. I found out that Kkladekk intercepted a letter that was headed to the Castle; the letter was from my foster parents. The letter had their address on it, of course, so Kkladekk told Ganondorf where I lived. That is why Ganondorf appeared at our house one day. His mission at the time had two parts: he was going to kill my parents, and take me away. He succeeded in one of his objectives, of course… but at the time he was there, I was not home. He could not stay there to wait for me, so he left. After he left, I returned home and discovered my dead parents.

Kkladekk still did not give up after that. They waited many years after killing my parents. To be honest, this happened not long before I met all of you: Ganondorf gave an anonymous tip to Master Impa, revealing his location. Master Impa told me the information she received, and due to my anger I followed up on it. Well, the entire thing was a set up. They intended from the beginning to corner me and cast that spell on me. Demise told me… Demise told me that because he planned to take my body, he did not want to control someone who was innocent-looking. He wanted me to look terrifying, which is why my blue eyes turned red and my blonde hair is now black… and then after his soul was inside of me, he wiped out my memories of what I used to look like. He wanted me to feel isolated and angry.

And it worked… or, perhaps I ought to say that it _would_ have worked. But it did not… because of you. So… I guess I owe you three a lot. To start, I will simply say thank you. Thank you for staying by my side, no matter what I said. Thank you for helping me fight against the evil presence which had planted itself inside of me. Now that I am in control again, we can finish this. After we finish this, I will announce my true identity; I will assume my responsibilities as Queen of Hyrule, and I hope that… I hope that you will continue to help me when that time comes." Zelda quickly opened the door to the library just as she finished talking and made her way to a series of bookshelves without giving anyone a chance to respond.

At first, Zukto, Kyoshiro, and Link did not follow after her.

"So she has discovered the truth then… that is for the best. I wish they would have told her from the beginning." Zukto remarked.

"Well… considering her mental state before… it probably wasn't wise to tell her everything. But now, we can definitely see that she is able to control her emotions. She can handle difficult truths, reflect on them, and then act in an appropriate manner." Link observed.

"But, um, that thing we fought before… it said that it could still sense evil within her. What was that about?" Kyoshiro questioned.

"Ah, yes… that same thing also worried me, Kyo. I believe that… even though the Princess is indeed sound of mind now, the cause of everything is still within her. Demise's soul has not been eradicated from her; it simply is hiding."

"Demise's soul is still inside of her? Then why the sudden change?" Link raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"… That pendant I gave her is no ordinary pendant. I have been holding onto it for a while, hoping that it would absorb magical power. It seems to have worked far better than I imagined, seeing as it helps her suppress Demise's powers. But the magic within the pendant cannot destroy him outright. As long as she wears it, I guess, she will not have to worry about Demise taking control of her. But if it ever were to come off, she could regress back to how she was before I gave it to her." Zukto explained.

"Hm, you are sneaky; you never told us about this." Link shook his head.

"I did not want to risk Zelda finding out, sorry."

"Speaking of the Princess… she does not actually know what the pendant does; am I right in suspecting that?" Link folded his arms.

"You are correct: I have not told her the purpose of the pendant."

"Do you intend to?"

"I suppose that I ought to, but… I worry that if I tell her what I just told you, she might tempt fate and remove it to try to prove a point."

"While I understand your concern… do you still think that she will be that unreasonable? How can she work on expelling Demise from her mind if she believes that he's already gone?" Link looked concerned.

"Well, she heard what Phantom Ganon said… right? Do you think that she would just ignore what he said? Surely she must have already considered the possibility that Demise still lives inside of her." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"I certainly hope that she has given some thought to the situation, but…" Zukto muttered.

"How about we bench this conversation for now? She is going to wonder about us." With that, Link held the door to the library open for everyone.

The group split up to cover separate sections of the library. Zukto was only pretending to hunt for books; he was more interested in locating Zelda. After a little bit of searching, he found her standing in between shelves of books near the back of the library; it seemed like she was carefully studying a book that she was holding.

"Hey there." He quietly greeted her, hoping not to startle her. She looked up suddenly, and smiled when she saw who it was. A part of her shadow reached up and grabbed the book while she turned to face her friend.

"H-hey. I love coming here. It is so peaceful, and there are so many books that I have not read yet. Who knows what kind of secrets are waiting to be discovered?"

"That sounds just like you." Zukto chuckled.

"Z-Zukto… you know, I was not myself before. So I worry sometimes… about your opinion of me. I just hope that you will give me time to redeem…" Zelda began, looking shyly away from him.

"No worries, Zelda; you don't have to redeem yourself for anything. We had to be there for you while you were having a tough time. If… if Demise had actually taken control of your mind… well, I'd say that we would deserve any cruel fate he had in mind for us." Zukto's expression grew dark.

"Z-Zukto? What exactly do you mean by that?" Zelda's expression grew concerned.

"I mean that it is too cruel to leave someone to suffer alone. You said earlier that after your foster parents were murdered, the villagers tended to avoid you. Just imagining you as a young girl, being ignored by the very people who you saw every single day as you grew up… all I can do is apologize on their behalf, but I know full well that me apologizing will not fix anything. Your pain and suffering cannot be erased. Since I cannot do anything about your past, I will try my hardest to do something about the present."

"Why do you care so much, anyway?"

"Sometimes I think about how close I came to being stranded alone in the Desert. Even though Master Nabooru found me and let me to safety, I still struggled for a while. I could not communicate much with anyone, since I had to learn Hylian. I would point at stuff, I could say a few words here and there, but I had never before in my life been in a position where I could not understand the people around me and they could not understand me either. I knew that the Gerudo wanted to help me, but I would be sitting by myself and hearing all of their conversations. I couldn't help but feel jealous of them, that they had family and friends whom they could see and talk with at any time.

But me, I had nothing; I was stuck in a strange place with strange people who spoke strange languages. Eventually as my language skills improved, I felt less isolated and more welcome among the Gerudo. I am so fortunate that the Gerudo found me. What if I had ended up somewhere else, in a place where the people did not go out of their way to help outsiders…"

"I have certainly had my share of hardships, but I must admit that the challenges you faced as a young man were quite trying. I have never been in a situation where I could not communicate with the people around me, so I am not sure how I would have handled it. I suppose we both have experienced similar emotions, even if the origins of such emotions were quite different; I felt like an outsider in my own village and continue to feel that way even now, and you truly are an outsider."

"What's even worse though, in my opinion, is that they treated an innocent kid like that. What did you do to deserve that? I hope they come to regret acting like that."

"I suppose that it would be nice if they learned a lesson from all this… imagining the look on their faces when they realize that the girl they pushed away was their Princess the entire time… but honestly, they likely will have little to no business with me anyway after I ascend to the throne." Zelda looked ambivalent.

 _You sound vindictive, Princess Zelda. You would do well to temper such unbecoming thoughts._ A female's voice echoed in the Princess' head. Momentarily she was taken by surprise, but she settled down immediately and tried to act like nothing had happened.

"We should focus on our research." Zelda abruptly switched topics and stretched out her shadow so she could grab a book on a higher shelf. She gently passed the book to Zukto.

"Go ahead and start looking through this one." She suggested as he grabbed it. Out of curiosity, Zukto studied the cover of it: the book was titled _A History of Hyrule's Greatest Enemies_.

 _I guess this book could be pretty interesting…_ Zukto wandered over to a desk, got comfortable, laid out parchment and a quill, and began to scan through the book for anything useful.

There was an entire section of the book dedicated to Ganondorf, of course. Zukto, knowing way more about Ganondorf than he had ever wanted to, skipped this section.

There was a section about an enemy known as the Usurper King Zant which piqued his interest, but according to the entry this King of Darkness was killed not long after rising to power. One piece of information in particular threw him off: according to the author, Zant had accepted Ganondorf's soul into his body. With Ganondorf's soul, Zant's powers grew exponentially.

 _So this is not the first time that Ganondorf, or Demise rather, has used others like he hopes to use Zelda… I wonder if Zelda has read this book before. Well, anyway, I need to see if this book mentions anything about Darkness Orb._

Another interesting entry caught his eye: this entry was about an object known as Majora's Mask. Zukto read that an ancient tribe of people created the mask to be used in malicious rituals. Eventually, however, the tribe grew to fear the power of the mask and chose to seal it away. Centuries later, someone else found the mask and took it from its resting place. A series of events transpired, resulting in the Mask's evil spirit possessing the moon.

 _Dear Gods, such a powerful spirit existed within a mask? I can't imagine what it must have been like to see the moon slowly falling to the ground. There is so much about Hyrule's history that I know nothing about… oh, but it says here that all of the trouble caused by Majora's Mask took place in Termina, not Hyrule. Where is Termina, anyway? And if this happened in Termina, why is it in a book about Hyrule?_

Further reading revealed that the author surmised the only way Majora was ultimately stopped from destroying Termina was because of a powerful Hylian artifact, the Ocarina of Time. The author also assumed that had Majora successfully destroyed Termina, it would have moved on and caused destruction elsewhere. It was a fair assumption, all things considered.

As frightening as Majora's Mask was, Zukto had a feeling that the Darkness Orb was just as formidable.

 _You know, now that I think of it… Majora's Mask itself was not evil. Masks are not conscious, after all. But somehow, the people who created it were able to infuse it with a soul. Then the question would be where they got the soul from, and whether the soul was evil to begin with. The same questions apply to the Darkness Orb, I think. So far, we have not seen this thing much less overheard any useful information about it. We know it exists, but that's it. I get the feeling that the Darkness Orb does not really have a physical form, at least not like us mortals have. It can probably possess objects and people; I think this happened to my brother._

 _All of this is just conjecture, so far… but there has to be a way for me to confirm or deny it. I wonder where the Darkness Orb actually came from… considering my brother's condition, I strongly feel as though the Darkness Orb was on Charcai when I was younger; that's the only way that Kkladekk could have come into contact with it. Is Charcai actually the birthplace of it? I had never considered it before, but at this point nearly anything is possible. So then… will this journey actually come full circle for me?_

Zukto set the book down, consumed with his own thoughts. He felt partly nervous but mostly excited. Could he dare to hope that he would actually get to return home?

Suddenly, Kyoshiro sat down next to Zukto. Zukto, realizing that someone was sitting next to him, turned his attention to whoever had joined him.

"Hey." Kyoshiro greeted, nodding slightly. He glanced over at Zukto's book briefly, but returned his gaze to his own book.

"What do you have there? Find anything interesting?" Zukto asked

.

"This… this book is really strange. I think it must be about a weird fantasy world that the author created. Here, check it out." Kyoshiro handed the book to Zukto; the book was titled _The Origin of Darkness_.

 _Wow, that is a pretty striking title. I guess maybe it could be some kind of fiction story… let's see…_ Zukto flipped past the table of contents and found the first page.

"Hey, what do you have there?" Link asked, joining them.

"Kyoshiro wanted me to check it out."

"What is everyone doing? Did you find something?" Zelda had joined them as well.

"Well, since we're all here… how about we go someplace where we won't disturb anyone? I can read it out loud so we can all think about what is in this book together." Zukto offered.

"The idea sounds fine to me. Here, there are small conference rooms on the second floor of the library; we can have our discussion there." Zelda lead the way again, this time up a spiral staircase. When they reached the top, there was a corridor with several closed doors. Zelda picked a door at the very end of the hallway, opened it, and then waved her hand in front of the door. A magical glyph appeared on it.

"We will have some privacy here, and we also will not have to worry about disturbing anyone. Make yourselves comfortable." She held the door open, waiting for everyone to file into the room before quietly shutting the door behind her.

"Everyone ready?" Link asked.

"Wait a minute, I shall call for tea." Zelda rang a bell and stood by the door. It did not take long for a girl to answer the summons and receive her order.

"It will still be a bit before she returns. Shall we start?"

"S-sure. Wow… I haven't read a book out loud like this in a while. I'm getting nervous." Zukto laughed nervously.

"You'll be fine." Kyoshiro reassured him, looking smug.

"So, before I begin, the title of this book is _The Origin of Darkness_. That's a pretty foreboding title… but without further ado…

'Our history spans countless centuries. In writing this tome, I hope to elucidate not only our origins and the historical significance of our people, but also the origins of the greatest sin to ever plague us. I am dedicating my work here to the people of the future, hopefully people who will possess the spirit, power, wisdom, and courage necessary to overcome the demons which threaten to destroy my homeland.'" Zukto paused there, looking intrigued.

"I wonder what the author means by 'greatest sin?' Has this sin been dealt with already, or?" Zelda looked thoughtful.

"Kyo, the way you talked earlier… you made it sound like this book was just some fiction or something. But just from reading this introductory paragraph, it sounds rather serious to me." Zukto raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, well, yeah… I skipped the introductory part." Kyoshiro looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"Y-you skipped the introduction? Do you often do that?" Link was incredulous.

"Why would I read a thing that summarizes what I am about to read? I would rather just skip straight to the point." Kyoshiro muttered, his face getting a bit red.

"K-Kyoshiro… you are so impatient." Zelda laughed slightly.

"So… what should I read next? This book is quite long; I don't think it is reasonable for me to read this entire thing out loud."

"Is there anything about the sin that the author mentions?"

"Let me see… there are some sub sections that may be of interest. This one is titled 'Genesis.'"

"'One of the earliest creation stories I have discovered is a story plagued with betrayal, revenge, hatred, and suffering.

Before us mortals existed, there was only the realm of the Gods. These beings possessed extraordinary powers and were gifted with eternal vitality. Some of the Gods cooperated with one another, and established a virtuous civilization. They passed their time leisurely, unburdened by necessity and strife. Not all of the Gods were satisfied with this existence, however. One of the Gods, Krandses, believed that not all of the Gods were worthy of the power they possessed. Thinking himself stronger than many of the Gods, it insulted him to be considered their equal.

Krandses left the realm of the Gods, working on a scheme to force the others to bend to his will. Outside of the realm of the Gods was a strange place: the land was not as green, the water not as blue, the air not as pure. At first, Krandses simply wandered around this strange realm; he spent an unknown amount of time on the surface world.

The other Gods did not pay Krandses any mind, as they were used to his erratic behavior. While he was on the surface, Krandses decided that he could only subjugate the other Gods by force. Even though he was powerful, he realized that he could not fight all of them by himself. To that end, Krandses used his powerful magic to create servants; these servants were our ancestors.

Krandses told his newly-born servants about the land of the Gods. He embellished tales, claiming that the Gods who lived there were gluttonous, cruel, and violent. He claimed that the surface world was dismal compared to the paradise of the Gods. His plan worked: his servants came to despise the other Gods, and rallied around Krandses. They began to cry for the destruction of the 'false Gods.' Krandses steadily created more servants, and used his magic to help them build a civilization. Before long his servants began to procreate, further expanding his group of worshippers.

Finally, when they had created a bustling city on the surface, the other Gods took notice. They marveled at how the once-barren surface could be so cultivated and productive. Krandses' servants taught themselves trades such as carpentry, smithing, agriculture, animal husbandry, masonry, and more. Under Krandses' guidance, his smiths forged powerful weapons that he then enhanced using his magic. His servants' devout faith and gratitude increased Krandses' power even further. Krandses then selected a number of especially-devout, and gifted, followers. He taught this elite group how to use magic, a privilege he did not intend to share with everyone.

When Krandses' standing army reached fifty thousand souls, and he had sufficient munitions for them, he determined that it was time to directly engage the other Gods in combat. Krandses, using his magic, opened up a portal that took his forces straight into the heart of the realm of the Gods. The other Gods were overwhelmed by Krandses' forces and his fearsome power. Only one God had the power to fight Krandses: Charcai.'" Zukto stopped again, surprised by what he read.

"Zukto! If this section is talking about a God named Charcai, then that means…" Zelda began, also surprised about their discovery.

"This account must be the origin story of Charcai. I have never read anything like this before, though. How did… how did a book like this end up in your library, anyway? And why is it written in Hylian?" Zukto could hardly wrap his mind around it.

"Shall we continue? This seems like it is an important part." Link observed.

"Okay.

"'Charcai was Krandses' twin brother. The two clashed in a one-on-one duel of cataclysmic proportions. Many of Krandses' followers had survived the fighting, so they watched the two Gods wage their all-out battle. Charcai would not simply give in to his brother, but he did plead for an end to the fighting and never made any decisive attacks. Many of Krandses' followers, while watching the fight, came to discover that Charcai, one of the so-called 'false Gods,' was actually merciful and benevolent. On the other hand, as the battle continued, Krandses' ethereal aura became more and more tainted. Witnessing his ever-increasing bloodlust and insanity, Krandses' followers began to cheer on Charcai instead and pleaded with him to stop the fighting. The support of the mortals healed Charcai's wounds, and increased his strength. With his heightened abilities, Charcai was able to seal Krandses away.

With Krandses sealed away, Charcai took his brother's place as the patron deity for the mortal city on the surface. The city was called Genesis, and Charcai's new supporters decided to name the very land itself Charcai after their new deity. Eventually, Charcai returned to the realm of the Gods in order to help the other Gods rebuild it. While most of the mortals who lived in Genesis worshipped Charcai, some of them secretly remained loyal to Krandses. The small group of mortals who still supported Krandses created a secret organization called Darkness Orb.'" Zukto stopped once again, staring wide-eyed at the book. Everyone was quiet for a minute.

"So our enemy… originates from your homeland." Zelda finally observed, speaking quietly.


	20. A Lukewarm Homecoming

"Well if what this book says is true about this so-called 'secret organization,' then we know why Zukto is here now. It always struck me as odd that the Goddesses would ask a total foreigner like you for help. No offense, man, it just didn't make sense before. But if this organization was founded in your homeland, then I can see why the Goddesses would ask for your help." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"I had no idea such an organization existed back home, but then again I was not even the age of majority when I was spirited away to Hyrule. Even though it is apparent to me that it is my responsibility to stop my brother, who must be a member of this secret organization, it is still not obvious to me how I ended up here. I have a feeling that my being here is an entirely new layer to this puzzle."

"Be that as it may… shall we continue? Just knowing the origins of this group is not enough… when we left off, Krandses was still sealed away. I suspect that there is more to this story, and any information we can gather will be useful." Zukto knew that Zelda had a point, so he continued reading.

"'The original members of Darkness Orb were the elite warlocks who had been personally trained by Krandses. Under the guidance of Charcai, these elite mages held no rank or significance. Like Krandses, these warlocks were arrogant and believed that anyone weaker than them had no business giving them orders. They met in secret to further practice their magic and discover a way to release their master from his prison. Charcai's magical prowess was without peer, though, and so the small group of warlocks could not agree on a safe way to rescue Krandses.

The magical gate to his prison could not be opened or destroyed except by Charcai himself, and Krandses was wearing a set of shackles that prevented him from using his magic. Eventually, the members of Darkness Orb came to the conclusion that the only way they could break Krandses out of his prison was if they could separate his immortal soul from his physical form. The mages created many powerful, dark magic spells during their secret meetings. One such spell could mark a vessel and allow the caster to transfer portions of his or her soul into the marked vessel.

The most powerful members of Darkness Orb then one day snuck into the area where Krandses' prison was. One member cast the spell on Krandses, with his master's permission, and transferred part of his soul into Krandses' body. Again, with Krandses' permission, the mortal overpowered Krandses' consciousness so he could take control of the God's body. Charcai's shackles were only meant to work on Krandses, so the enchantment weakened when it could not detect Krandses' consciousness.

Able to use magic now, the mortal controlling Krandses' body in turn marked every member of his group who had accompanied him. He transferred part of Krandses' soul into each of the warlocks. The body in the prison that had belonged to Krandses only possessed a mortal soul now; the mortal controlling Krandses' body was able to simply walk out of the prison. Every mortal's face was marked with a crescent moon-shaped scar, the mark of the spell, and as such every mortal with this mark shared Krandses' power.

Darkness Orb thus smuggled their God out of the prison created by Charcai. Charcai had not yet discovered the existence of this secret organization, and therefore did not know how Krandses was able to escape the prison. The members of Darkness Orb were careful to not reveal themselves, as they wanted to help Krandses return to power. The members continued to live in Genesis, blending in with all of Charcai's supporters, but the warlocks who wore the crescent moon mark on their faces no longer ventured outside. These few, elite members came to be referred to as 'the Chosen ones' by the weaker and less influential members because each one possessed a portion of Krandses' soul and thus a portion of his power.

Krandses was surprised that he still had a following, but grateful. After all, thanks to his mortal followers he was able to escape the prison his brother had created. But Krandses was not satisfied with the new lifestyle assumed by the members of Darkness Orb who possessed his soul. All of them lived together in a secret, underground shrine built in Krandses' honor. These warlocks took up the title of Dark Priests, tending to the administration of Darkness Orb from the shadows and hosting the meetings of the organization. Krandses understood that he was not strong enough to challenge his brother yet, and that he had to remain in hiding, but he was impatient to exact his revenge.

Under direction of Krandses, one of the 'chosen ones' began writing a prognostication of Charcai's defeat and the expansion of Krandses' influence. This legendary tome took years to complete. When it was finally completed, Krandses took control of each of the mortals who possessed his soul, marked the book with the symbol of the crescent moon, and transferred the parts of his soul into it. This plan served several purposes: most importantly, Krandses wanted his soul to be whole again. He also wanted to ensure the survival of the one-of-a-kind tome, titled _The Kingdom of Darkness_. Krandses then directed the most powerful member of Darkness Orb to carry the tome at all times. Krandses spoke only to the chosen member from that point on, making the mortal his messenger and second-in-command. The mortal formed a pact with Krandses, swearing eternal loyalty to his master in exchange for unlimited access to his God's powers.

Charcai had been unable to locate his brother for several years because his brother's soul was not whole. When Krandses transferred the pieces of his soul into the book, Charcai could once again sense his brother's presence. The suddenness of his brother's return made Charcai nervous; surely Krandses had something planned, he reasoned. Expecting another battle, Charcai grabbed his legendary staff and sent out a warning to the people of Genesis. He warned them about Krandses' thoroughly corrupted soul and his insatiable desire for power. Knowing that Krandses would happily murder anyone who got in his way, Charcai ordered his followers to evacuate the city.

When Krandses and his mortal human emerged, they found the city practically abandoned. Charcai stood in the center of the city, ready to fight. He had not expected a mortal to approach him, so seeing the lone man standing before him threw him off guard. When the mortal spoke, however, Charcai could feel the soul of his brother and hear his voice. Charcai was at first reluctant to fight the mortal, since he liked mortals, until he witnessed the magic the man commanded. Faced with undeniable proof that his brother wanted to destroy him, Charcai fought back with his entire being. The battle lasted for days; although the Gods themselves did not tire, the human that Krandses had been relying on dropped dead from lack of water and rest. Even with the human dead, Charcai could still feel his brother's soul; it was then that Charcai realized that his brother's soul was hiding within the book.

Charcai tried to burn the book, but to no avail. Krandses could no longer fight back because the book itself possessed no powers; he needed a mortal to wield the book. He could defend his vessel, however, and defend it he did. Charcai tried to destroy the book several ways, but no matter what he tried the evil tome endured. When destroying the book was proving to be a lost cause, Charcai tried to read it instead. To his consternation, the book refused to open. It was then that Charcai heard his brother's voice.

'Brother… you cannot destroy my vessel. Nor can you read it. This tome details your demise and my rise to power… but only a single, chosen mortal may know of its contents. During our fight, my chosen mortal perished. Therefore, I must select another. There are those in the world who are still loyal to me. In order to kill all of them, you would have to massacre your own people; my followers are discreet, so you could not easily discern them from one of your own. I recognize that you are the victor of our battle this time, though my loss is due to no fault of my own; my vessel's soul was not strong enough. Prepare yourself for next time, Charcai.'

Krandses' voice faded away. Charcai tried to consider his options; he did not want to do anything that would lead to further fighting and hatred. For the time being, Charcai simply decided to hold onto the tome that housed his brother's soul while he assisted the mortals with rebuilding Genesis. While helping the mortals, Charcai befriended a young man. The two quickly came to trust and rely on one another. Unfortunately, Krandses had other plans for this mortal.

Charcai was in a hurry one fateful day, and opted to leave _The Kingdom of Darkness_ in his room at a small temple the mortals had erected as tribute to him. Charcai's human friend worked at the temple, and thus had access to Charcai's room. All day, while Charcai was away, the mortal could hear someone whispering to him. At first he assumed that he was hearing things, but the strange voice kept talking to him all day. Finally, the mortal's willpower gave in and he entered Charcai's room at the behest of the strange voice. The mortal was not sure why, but he knew that the voice was coming from the book that Charcai always carried around. The voice pleaded for the human to take the book; the mortal, unable to resist the influence of Krandses, took the book.

Krandses immediately took control of the mortal's mind and body, hoping to use him to fight Charcai once again. When Charcai finally returned, he could feel Krandses' evil aura swirling around his friend. Charcai tried to reason with his mortal friend, but the man did not recognize anything except Krandses' commands. Krandses immediately went on the offensive, taking advantage of Charcai's compassion and mercy. No matter how Krandses attacked, Charcai did not fight back for fear of hurting his friend. Charcai was indeed powerful, but he could not sustain his defense forever. Just as it seemed that Krandses was going to deal the finishing blow, the mortal he was controlling overcame the malevolent influence of Charcai's brother. He tossed the evil tome aside and knelt before his friend, horrified at what he had done.

Charcai had enough strength remaining to leave a final message for his friend. Charcai did not scorn the mortal; in the end, he blamed himself for allowing the mortal to be influenced by Krandses. Knowing Krandses' hatred for him, Charcai could see in hindsight that of course Krandses would manipulate the human he was closest to. He had a plan to stop Krandses, but he needed the mortal's help one final time. Charcai was going to seal himself away along with his brother, to make sure that the world would be spared of Krandses' wrath. Charcai could not guarantee how long the seal would last, however; he warned the mortal that one day, Krandses would return. For now, Charcai needed to buy time: he wanted as much time as possible to pass, hoping that the cult which still supported Krandses would dissolve over a few centuries. When the seal finally weakened, allowing Krandses to roam the world once again, Charcai would also return to the world. Since he could not remain in his physical form to guide his people during this time, Charcai asked his mortal friend to watch over the humans in his stead. Charcai granted the mortal the power of immortality before his weakened body faded away. After his body disappeared, the tome which contained Krandses' soul turned to stone.'" Zukto had not stopped reading for many minutes, engrossed by the story. But the gravity of the final paragraph weighed heavily on him.

"By the Gods… well, that certainly answers one thing: our ultimate enemy, it seems to me, is Krandses. Your prediction is right on the mark, Zukto: your brother is likely at the mercy of this crazy guy with a God complex." Kyoshiro observed. Zukto nodded in agreement.

"I am relieved to see that my guess is not far off the mark: Krandses is clearly controlling my brother. But remember, Krandses doesn't just have a God complex… he actually _is_ a God." When Zukto said that, something clicked in Zelda's mind.

… _Oh Gods preserve us. Now Zukto is going to ask us to spare his brother's life._ She looked at the ground, feeling a bit sick to her stomach. The man who forced her to live away from her birth parents, the man who ordered the murder of her foster parents, the man who was ultimately the one at fault for the mark on her face and her fading memories… did such a man really deserve to be shown mercy?

"By the way… everyone else picked up on the part about the spell that allows you to transfer souls, right? The book mentioned a crescent moon-shaped mark that appears on people who are the target of its magic. So the symbol of the Darkness Orb is the symbol on Zelda's face." Link pointed out. Zelda sighed, because she had been hoping that no one would bring it up.

"You have been quiet, Princess Zelda. Anything on your mind?" Zukto asked.

"I just pray to the Gods that Krandses' soul is not within me. One power-hungry God is more than enough for me to deal with." She said darkly.

"No, like Kyoshiro pointed out we are pretty sure that Krandses is influencing my brother. But there is still an interesting power struggle going on here. Krandses, who controls my brother, wants to subjugate Hyrule. He tried to capture you, and has failed a couple of times at that. Demise, who controls Ganondorf to a degree, also wants to subjugate Hyrule. Ganondorf and Demise both understand the significance of the Triforce better than my brother does, I suspect. So Demise thought that he could use my brother to get to you.

He gained my brother's cooperation, which must have been how Ganondorf learned how to use the ancient magic developed by Krandses' followers. He intended from the beginning to use you himself, instead of turning you over to my brother. I wonder if either of them realizes just how much they are deceiving the other. Honestly, though… if my brother wanted you to work with him so badly, I don't quite understand why he never marked you himself. He could have transferred part of Krandses' soul to you from the beginning. Unless… unless he somehow knew that it wouldn't work?"

"I do not think he has any such reservations… perhaps he is actually afraid of what would happen were I to join with Krandses. What if I could overpower Kkladekk with a bit of Krandses' power? After all, I already possess the Triforce of Wisdom. With the power of the Golden Goddesses in addition to Krandses' power… well, I cannot imagine that such a thing would be desirable for anyone."

"You… certainly have a point there. But your power is already terrifying, when Demise takes over…" Zukto muttered.

"Demise is one of the most powerful beings to exist throughout all of Hyrule's history, after all. It does make me wonder, though… who is the real threat here: Demise, or Krandses?" Zelda closed her eyes, deep in thought.

"This must be our next step… tracking down Darkness Orb to its source: we need to go to Charcai." Link stated gravely. Zukto's heart skipped a beat.

"I… part of me was afraid this whole time that I would never see my homeland again… but to think that we had to journey there this entire time…" Zukto chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

"What is our plan?" Zelda wasted no time in bringing up logistics.

"Okay, well… let's hope that your Goddesses can get us to Charcai. If they can't help, I have no idea how we'll even get there. But then after that… well, we need to learn what we can. There must be other members of Darkness Orb somewhere on Charcai: we need to find them and take them out."

 _I guess she gets her wish after all… she'll get to see Charcai. This still feels surreal to me, like it could be a dream or something…_

"I suspect that we will be on Charcai much longer than we have spent at other locations thus far. Keeping that in mind, I advise that we tend to any business we might have here before setting off. After all, I doubt that we will have the time to rush back here in the middle of our investigations." Zelda pointed out.

"Does anyone have anything they need to deal with?" Zukto asked.

"Well, maybe we all should write to our families or teachers or whomever. Just to let them know that we won't be in town for a while." Kyoshiro suggested.

"Good thinking, Kyoshiro. I shall get someone to bring us parchment and ink; we can just compose letters here." Zelda rang a bell before temporarily leaving the room.

"This will be quite the adventure; I have never left Hyrule before." Link mused.

"We have already, once. That segment of our journey certainly was interesting…" Zukto chuckled a bit. Suddenly, the door opened and a servant walked in with a wheeled cart.

"Would anyone like some tea?" The maid asked, bowing respectfully. She poured a cup for everyone except Zelda, since she was not present.

"I shall leave everything here, should you desire more. The hot water will stay hot, so feel free to drink it at your leisure." She bowed again before leaving.

"Hey, where did Zelda go anyway?" Kyoshiro asked, looking perplexed.

"Who knows; she disappeared without saying anything." Link shrugged.

"This is pretty normal for her. Just wait; she'll be back." In the past, it always seemed like something bad would happen when she ran off by herself. Now, however, Zukto was hopeful that the power within the pendant he gave her was enough to help her when no one else was around.

 _I need to figure out when to tell her. It needs to be a time when it is just the two of us, I think. She seems a lot more willing to discuss personal matters if there is no audience._

Everyone had already finished writing letters before Zelda finally reappeared. She was wearing her Sheikah-inspired garb again.

"Ah, I see. You figured we would be heading out soon." Zukto observed.

"Might as well be prepared." Zelda replied as she poured herself a cup of tea. Zukto was happy to see that she had not removed the necklace he gave her, though he did not say anything about it.

"Do you need to write to anyone?" Link asked.

"No. I already spoke with my Father. He was reluctant to let me go, of course, but he knows that my powers will be of use to you."

"Well then, provided we can actually get to Charcai… I think you ought to tell us a few basic things about the people from your homeland. Is there anything we need to be aware of?" Link asked.

"Hm, well… this is something I have come to expect after living here for eight years, but people from Charcai have never seen ears like yours. All I can say is that you should be prepared for people staring at you. And they will probably find your garb strange, so again… they might stare. Naturally, no one speaks Hylian… I am sorry, Link and Kyoshiro, but you won't be able to understand any of our conversations; at least not immediately. I suppose that I could ask Zelda to translate for you?" Zukto paused here, looking over at her.

"Fair enough. You do the talking; after all, you are our leader and you know these people far better than we do." She responded.

"Not many people study ancient texts anymore, so honestly we need to keep a low profile. I doubt that most people know about Hyrule, let alone believe that it is a real place. People live rather simply, at least where I am from. Seeing as how I did not even know about the story involving Charcai and Krandses, it makes sense that people would not spend a whole lot of time reading about entirely different worlds. We ought to stick together, considering that a few of us will encounter language barriers and do not have knowledge of the local geography. I know that you two cannot speak Charcaian, so just try not to speak too loudly when you do need to talk. That's probably the most important part." Zukto looked thoughtful. While he was talking, Zelda picked up the book he had been reading and stashed it away inside her cloak.

"Unfortunately, you two can do nothing really to hide your ears. Will that be okay with you if people stare at you?" Zelda asked.

"What about you?" Kyoshiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I assume that not too many people from Zukto's world look like me… so I think it would be best if I hide my face." She explained solemnly.

"So, I guess we're ready to go? Our first step is to meet with the Goddesses." Zukto could feel butterflies tumbling in his stomach.

"Alright everyone, follow me." Zelda lead the way out of the Castle, nodding at the guards and servants she passed along the way. When they arrived at the main gate to the Castle, she covered her face with the cowl that had the large, red eye printed on it. Zukto had to admit that staring at the eye was disconcerting no matter how many times he saw it.

They quietly walked through town, ignoring the throngs of people who were shopping and carrying on with their day-to-day business. But the commoners certainly did not ignore the strange group of people going through town, led by a person whose face was covered.

 _I wonder how long we might be gone… it'll be weird for me to be away from this place for so long._ Kyoshiro sighed, realizing how attached he was to the bustle of Castle Town.

 _I feel pretty anxious about all of this. The hardest part will likely be my inability to communicate with anyone besides the three people with me right now. But at least we are all friends who support and help each other. Doing this alone would be quite the ordeal, indeed._ Link focused on the sound of his heart as he walked, noticing that it was beating faster than normal due to his nerves.

 _After eight years, it is actually happening… I can go home. I can see Charcai again, and all of the people who I grew up with. I wonder how much has changed since then…_ Zukto could see his parents' house in his mind; hopefully someone looked after it while his family had been gone.

 _At least I can speak Zukto's language… but even so, this could put us in an interesting position. The mark on my face is a sign that says someone has used an ancient spell on me created by Krandses' supporters. What if someone recognizes this symbol on my face? I have to be prepared for the possibility that people may become hostile._ Zelda tried to steel herself, but something about their new objective had her slightly on edge.

"… Zelda." Zukto suddenly muttered as they approached the Temple.

"What?" She whispered back.

"I think someone is following us." When Zukto said that, she abruptly stopped walking. At first Link and Kyoshiro did not notice the changing mood.

"Hey, something up?" Link asked, looking curiously over at Zelda.

"Everyone, gather before me." She instructed. When her friends did as she requested, Zelda spread out her arms. As she did that, the asymmetrical cape she was wearing billowed straight out behind her instead of hanging limply like it normally did. Her shadow engulfed all of them, though Zukto thought that he saw a small break in her shadow off to the side that was arranged like the Triforce.

"Do not speak." Zelda commanded, before her shadow swallowed all of them. In an instant, they were all hidden from view.

"Wh-what was that? They suddenly disappeared…" The young girl timidly looked around the Temple grounds, wondering where the group of people could have gone so suddenly.

 _So Zukto was right: we were being followed. But she is fairly young; did someone pay her to follow us?_ Zelda thought grimly.

When the young girl accepted that there was not a trace of evidence left behind for her to bring back, she ran off. As soon as she was no longer near the Temple grounds, Zelda released the cloak of darkness that had been hiding everyone.

"We need to immediately enter the Temple and join the Goddesses; quickly, before that girl comes back." Zelda urged, running straight for the front doors. Everyone else followed closely behind her, not even slowing down as they entered the Temple proper. When everyone was finally in the hidden passageway that connected the Temple of Time to the area where the Goddesses stayed, they took a pause.

"We clearly need to be careful when we are in Castle Town." Zukto furrowed his brow, feeling uneasy. Why was that girl following them?

"Good thing we will not be back for a while. At least, that is the feeling I get." Zelda muttered.

"We shouldn't assume that Charcai is going to be any safer." Link pointed out.

"I wouldn't worry too much one way or the other, since we have Zukto with us." Kyoshiro nodded.

"Just remember that Krandses has it out for all of us." Zukto warned.

"Shall we proceed?" Zelda asked, taking the lead again. As soon as they entered the main chamber of the hidden temple, the Goddesses appeared before them.

"Ah, there you are; We have been waiting for you." Goddess Din remarked. She looked perturbed.

"Is everything okay, Goddess Din?" Zelda asked.

"Some strange girl keeps coming into the Temple of Time. We believe she is looking for you; did you encounter her? We hope she did not give you trouble."

"We saw her, but I used my powers to hide us from her. She gave up after she could not find us; so you noticed her, as well. I wonder what her objective is."

"I believe that she is working together with Kkladekk. We highly advise caution should you find yourselves back in Castle Town. But We digress; you surely came to Us for a reason. How may We assist you?"

"Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore… can you please send us to Charcai?" Zukto asked, still feeling nervous. After all, he had no idea how far Charcai was from Hyrule; was it even possible for them to freely travel between the two?

"Ah, so it is time then…" Goddess Din nodded resolutely. The three Goddesses prayed together, opening a portal to another world. When their prayer finished, Goddess Din turned to look at the adventurers.

"We have to be honest with you: opening a portal to Charcai takes an incredible amount of magic, and keeping the portal open indefinitely is simply not possible for Us. Therefore, once you cross over to the other side, We must close the portal. We might add that once you are in Charcai, We will be unable to establish contact with you. Therefore, We will have no way of knowing when you need to return. If you wish to return to Hyrule… you must find someone in Charcai who can send you back."

"O-Oh, I see. Well, that's fine; we already assumed that we would be gone a while." Zukto nodded, feeling slightly more nervous than before; if they could not find someone who could help them, they might be permanently stuck in Charcai.

"Zukto, We know that you hail from the land of Charcai. You might be excited about returning home, but remember that you arrived in Hyrule for a reason. Do not forsake Our people, and do not underestimate Kkladekk's power." Din warned before the three Goddesses disappeared again. When the heroes were alone, Zukto was practically glowing.

"Wow, it's finally time: is everyone ready?"

"Lead the way." Zelda directed, nodding. The heroes stepped into the portal, surrounded by a magical light…

When the light faded, Zukto faltered at the sight awaiting them; something was wrong.

"Wh-what is this place?" Link raised an eyebrow, surprised at how desolate the area was. The trees were dried out, there was no sign of wildlife, and the sky had a strange, grey tint to it.

"I… well I assume that the Goddesses sent us to Charcai, but… I have no idea where this is or what it once was." Zukto sheepishly admitted.

"Our only option is to find the nearest town, right? Zukto, you are going to have to lead us out of here. If there were any signs around, I would handle it myself. But this place seems long abandoned." Zelda pointed out. Zukto remembered when they first landed in Firean; Zelda had been the one to guide them, despite never having been there before. Now, for some reason, she was taking a step back.

 _So… where is this anyway…_ Zukto spent a minute more looking around at their surroundings. Nothing really stood out to him, so he was not sure in which direction he needed to direct everyone. Suddenly, he saw a person leaning against a tree.

 _Wait a second… that person wasn't there just a moment ago. Right? No one else seemed to notice…_ While Zukto stood there, staring at the person, they suddenly started to walk away.

"Wait! I need to talk to you!" Zukto called out in Charcaian, running after the mystery person. Everyone else was taken by surprise due to his sudden outburst.

"Come on! Zukto saw something!" Kyoshiro ran after him, followed by Link and Zelda.

 _Zukto needs to talk to someone? To whom? We are the only ones here._ Zelda thought incredulously.

Though the person had initially walked away from them, Zukto found himself unable to catch up no matter how much he ran. Eventually, he had to stop to catch his breath.

"Zukto! You just bolted off suddenly. What's going on?" Kyoshiro called out as he approached Zukto.

"There was a guy… back there… but he walked off…" Zukto muttered, remembering to speak in Hylian.

"A guy? And if he was walking, how come none of us saw him?" Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow.

"Wh-what? None of you saw him?" Zukto looked perplexed.

"No." Link surveyed the area, on the lookout for any hostile creatures.

 _You are… most peculiar… what is that other tongue you speak in? They cannot see me, by the way… only you… can…_ A voice weakly spoke within Zukto's mind in Charcaian.

 _Ah! So you will speak to me, then? Are you trying to lead us somewhere? As for the other language, I can speak Hylian._

 _Hylian? I do not understand. Anyway, I am… looking for something… I will help you if you help me…_

The mysterious person appeared again in front of Zukto. He cocked his head in the direction opposite Zukto.

"We need to follow him." Zukto declared as he filed behind the strange apparition. Everyone else exchanged glances, but did not want Zukto to wander off by himself.

 _Perhaps this person, whoever it is, does not have enough magic power to manifest itself in a way that we could see it; that is the most logical explanation here._ Zelda thought as she trailed behind everyone else.

The apparition led everyone through a dense forest. At first, the forest consisted of dead trees. Over time, however, life slowly returned to their surroundings. After hours of walking, the forest looked healthy and vibrant. No one, not even Zukto, knew where they were or how much further away a town was.

 _Where are you taking us?_

 _You wanted to… find a town, yes? I know where the closest town is. We are not too far off, now. Oh yes… my power is nearly drained… you shall be my vessel now._ Without giving Zukto enough time to process what was going on, the spirit disappeared.

 _Wh-where did you go?! We are still in the forest!_

 _Relax; I did not have enough power to maintain a form that you could see. But now that you and I share the same body, I can continue to direct you while I borrow some of your magical power. This arrangement is beneficial for the both of us, correct?_

 _I suppose so. Where am I going?_

 _There is a town once the forest breaks. Ah… this is much better. Already I feel more energized. Your magic power is quite substantial. What is your name, mortal?_

 _Mortal? My name is Zukto. So I take it that you are not mortal? Why were you in such a weakened state?_

 _I have recently awoken from centuries of sleep. It seems that I no longer enjoy the support I once had; to explain, I draw my magic from those who swear loyalty to me. I once had temples erected in my name, and the people faithfully served me. But I suppose that for mortals, the passage of time eventually renders all things, even Gods, meaningless._

 _If you don't mind my asking… are you Lord Charcai?_

 _Why, yes, I am Charcai. So you have heard of me? That must be why I feel so invigorated now; you are the first believer I have found in a while. Zukto, you have a great soul. I just see one issue…_

 _I-issue?_

 _You are too innocent, I think. You have been sheltered for far too long; I can tell._

 _I-Innocent? Sheltered? I never considered myself…_

 _I see that you lived in a tribe of only women for many years. Their leader purposely sheltered you._

 _H-hey! Those are my memories you are digging through! That stuff's private!_ Zukto's face slowly turned red.

 _Zukto, you are a Charcaian and my vessel. As your God, your memories cannot be hidden from me. I had to make sure that you would actually protect me._

 _Of course I will protect you. Darkness Orb is our enemy, if that is what was concerning you._

 _Yes, I can see that all of you have chosen to fight Darkness Orb. But_ _ **the woman**_ …

 _Woman? Do you mean Princess Zelda? What about her?_

 _That woman bears the mark of an ancient Darkness Orb warlock on her face. Why are you with her?_

 _What, you didn't search through all of my memories? Princess Zelda got attacked by someone who knows the ancient magic, but who does not serve Krandses. There is a soul inside of her, but it is not Krandses'._

 _I can sense an incredible evil within her. Are you sure that she is free from Krandses' influence?_

 _Krandses is your brother, isn't he? Why can't you tell whether your brother's soul is inside of her or not?_ Zukto felt annoyed.

 _I am still recovering my strength. At any rate, proceed. I assume that you would prefer to reach town before night._

 _I do not recognize this place. Where are we?_

 _You are in the Forest of the Ancients. This proud Forest has existed for centuries._

 _Forest of the Ancients? I can't say that I have heard of it. Why was the edge of the forest dead?_

 _I am not entirely sure about that; perhaps something happened while I slept. I could sense some powerful magic, so perhaps a great battle was fought there long ago._

"Zukto, you have been awfully quiet. Is everything okay?" Zelda asked.

"S-sorry, I am talking to him."

"Talking to him? So your mystery person, then. Your mystery person is leading us out of here, right?"

"Y-yeah."

"For now, we have no choice but to trust him."

"Yeah."

 _How did these foreigners come to Charcai?_

 _Well as you must have seen, I ended up living in a distant land for many years. I befriended these people while there. We figured out that Darkness Orb originated here, so we are trying to find out how to defeat them. I need their help, so we asked some Gods from their homeland to send us here._

 _Hm, how fortuitous for me that I found one such as you so soon._

 _You need help to defeat Krandses, right? I promise to help you however I can._

 _How is it that you know about my brother and I, anyway? I have yet to meet anyone here who knows the threat my brother poses._

 _While I was living in that distant world, my friends and I found a strange book. The book is titled_ _ **The Origin of Darkness**_ _. We have no idea who wrote it, as the cover did not list an author, but whoever put it together must be the single greatest Charcaian scholar to ever live. The book talked about the formation of Darkness Orb, two key battles between you and Krandses, and a lot of other stuff._

 _And you found this book not here in Charcai but in another world altogether?_

 _Y-yeah, I know, it doesn't make much sense._

 _It seems clear to me that someone here in Charcai knew where you were and wanted to lead you back here. They planted that book specifically so you could find it._

 _That's a good thing, right?_

… _Yes, of course._

 _Hey… what is that over there?_ Zukto suddenly stopped walking, his attention fixed to a tree. The tree itself looked ordinary, except for the fact that it appeared to have unnaturally large roots. These roots bulged out from the ground, blocking what appeared to be another pathway.

 _What do you mean, 'what is that?' Surely, you know what a tree is. Come, the town I am leading you to is not far off now. Your friends must be tired and hungry._

 _Yeah, you are probably right about that._ Admitting that Charcai's assessment was likely accurate, Zukto tore his attention away from the strange tree in order to lead everyone out of the forest. He was quite interested in the tree, though, and hoped that it would still be there the next time he found himself in the area.

Finally, the adventurers exited the forest and could see a town not too far off in the distance.

 _Thank you for leading us here._

 _It was the least I could do for you. I want Darkness Orb exterminated, of course, and if you were already going to fight them then I ought to stay with you. Hopefully, my powers can be of use to you._

"Remember guys, everyone will probably think we're weird. I don't believe I've ever been to this town before, so I'll be nearly as lost as you. Are we ready? Just stick with me, and listen to Zelda: she'll translate." Zukto nodded to everyone before heading towards the town. This was not quite the homecoming he had imagined; after all, he was not even sure where in Charcai they actually were. Nevertheless, he was grateful for a chance to be among his people again.

They did not have to enter the town proper to attract the attention of the locals. Even as they were on the outskirts of town, passing by young children playing and people tending to livestock, Zukto could tell that they were quickly going to become the center of attention.

Zukto lead everyone straight into town without stopping. For a second, he marveled at the large gate they had to pass through: a sign at the top of the gate had the town's name, Forestland Samekh. He realized with a start that this sign was the first time he had actually seen Charcaian writing in many years.

Even without the trademark Hylian ears, Zukto knew that the locals were gossiping about them.

"Their ears are so long…"

"What strange garb…"

"Do you see that creepy eye…?"

"They have weapons; are they mercenaries…?"

Zukto took a deep breath and started to speak out loud to the crowd at large.

"Greetings, neighbors. My name is Zukto, and I hail from the Charcaian city of Immolate Throne." He paused here to see what the general response of the crowd would be. They fervently murmured amongst themselves. Zelda listened intently to the chatter after hurriedly whispering to Kyoshiro and Link what Zukto was saying.

"Immolate Throne? That is the new capital city, isn't it?"

"What could some privileged boy from the capital want with us here?"

"Even if _he_ is one of us, those others with him cannot possibly be…"

"Don't talk bad about him. If he has money, let's just let him stay for a couple of days. They'll surely leave us alone soon."

 _Heh, we obviously need a repeat of what happened in Firean. I wonder if there is a dragon nearby we can slay._ Zelda shook her head, knowing that earning the trust of these people would be an endeavor.

"Zukto, we only have Hylian money." Zelda quietly whispered to her partner in Hylian so the other two could understand her. They needed a place to rest for the night, but these people would have no use for rupees.

"If need be, we can just camp outside." Link whispered in response. Zelda nodded slightly.

"Can we really trust these people not to attack us at night?" Kyoshiro muttered. Zukto frowned at his friend's question, not appreciating the insinuation.

"We are quite skilled at hunting, fighting, and other tough tasks. If you need help with something, feel free to ask." Zukto said to the crowd in Charcaian, trying to encourage the locals to approach them. The Charcaian adults mostly looked at the small group of travelers with disdain. Again, Zelda quietly translated for her friends.

Suddenly, though, someone stepped through the crowd and stopped before Zukto and his friends. Everyone watched this man with interest.

"Zukto is your name, so you say. Do the names Thalian Brier and Lanai Rebirth mean anything to you?" Zelda was too focused on the man to translate for her friends this time.

"D-do you know my parents?!" Zukto's face instantly lit up.

"… So you have finally returned, then. Come with me." The man turned around and cut his way through the crowd of people. The crowd quickly dispersed, giving the adventurers room to follow the mysterious man.

"What is going on?" Kyoshiro quickly asked.

"This man knows Zukto's parents. He wants us to follow him." Zelda whispered back.

 _Our luck seems to be uncanny. This man was just waiting for us? And Charcai too? Something does not seem right to me; I must stay on my guard._ Zelda frowned slightly, trying to observe their surroundings as thoroughly as she could.

The man did not say a word until they were standing in his house with the front door locked and all of the windows covered.

"Zukto, I must start by explaining that no one has seen your parents in eight years." The man gruffly said. Zelda repeated this message for Kyoshiro and Link.

"E-eight years…?"

"And correct me if I am wrong, but… you have been missing for about that amount of time, haven't you?"

"Y-yes."

"Is there a connection between your disappearance and theirs?"

"I have no idea! One day, I just found myself…" Zukto seemed flustered.

"So your parents never explained to you where they were going? It is all just a coincidence that they disappeared before you did? Where have you been all this time, anyway?" The man seemed increasingly impatient.

"Hold on a second. Tell me your name, please. I won't answer any of your questions until I know who you are."

"Zukto, your parents and I…" The man finally began. Zelda took this opportunity to bring her friends up to speed on the conversation.

 _Finally! The one I have been searching for all this time…!_

"What?! You were searching for him?!" Zukto blurted out, forgetting that no one could see the spirit that was with him.

"Excuse me? Zukto, is someone else here?!" The man looked livid.

"S-sorry, I met a spirit on the road. It led us here, and asked to borrow some of my power."

"If that 'spirit' was searching for me, then it is no friend of yours!" He magically conjured a staff out of nowhere and began to mutter a prayer.

 _Don't let him finish that incantation!_ Charcai pleaded.

 _Why does he think you are a threat to us?_

"Zukto, what is going on here?!" Zelda demanded, speaking in Hylian so Link and Kyoshiro could understand.

"In the name of Charcai, protect me from the influence of Darkness Orb!" The man yelled. A large glyph appeared on the floor underneath everybody. The energy of the glyph focused itself on Zukto, sending pulses of energy through his body. Zukto braced himself, although he quickly discovered that the spell was causing him no harm. The 'spirit,' on the other hand, was not as fortunate.

"Gaaahhhhh! Damn you, Ricando Raffiech. This is not the last you'll see of me!" The spirit was forced out of Zukto's body, and everybody else in the room could see it now.

"Are you with Darkness Orb?!" Zelda demanded, speaking in Charcaian.

"Maybe I am, maybe I am not. But I am not staying here to be interrogated. Our paths shall cross again, brother of Kkladekk!" With that, the spirit disappeared. Everyone turned to look at the mysterious man.

"So it is true, then… Zukto… your brother Kkladekk, he is the leader of Darkness Orb."

"That is actually only partially true. We do not have the whole story yet, but I believe that Krandses, the true leader of Darkness Orb, found my brother when he was very young. Krandses invaded my brother's mind, and forced him to obey his orders. At this point, since the two of them have been together for so long, I think my brother has completely lost himself to Krandses' influence. I have met with Kkladekk a few times recently, and he is nothing like he used to be."

"Krandses… now that is a name I have not heard in a while." Ricando sighed as he used his magic to hide his staff again.

"You obviously know my family, and you seem to know more about this situation than you are letting on. Who are you really, Ricando?"

"I am just a humble servant of Charcai. We are all but humble servants."

"All? Did my parents say that, too?"

"Yes. Your parents are incredibly gifted, you know. And what's more, they were able to keep their powers a complete secret from you. I can see it in your eyes… you are surprised to hear me speak of them in this manner. We had to hide certain things from you until you were ready. Now, it seems, the time has come. Before I reveal too much, however, we need to find them."

"Them? Do you mean mom and dad? But you said no one has seen them in eight years, correct?"

"Your return to Charcai can only mean that our struggle against Krandses and Darkness Orb is reaching a pivotal point; we need their help. I appreciate that you are trying to fight back against Krandses, but even now you lack the power necessary to stand a chance against him."

 _So that spirit from earlier was not Charcai at all. That makes more sense to me that someone would be trying to lure us into a trap. We are in enemy territory, after all. May the Goddesses continue to watch over us._ Zelda thought solemnly as she listened to the conversation.

"Er, I am sorry. Ricando, two of my friends here do not understand Charcaian." Zukto pointed out.

"But the woman does?"

"Sorry, I am in charge of translating for my friends but I got caught up listening to you." Zelda spoke up.

"Where do these strange people come from, Zukto?"

"The reason I disappeared eight years ago is because I was somehow sent to an ancient kingdom known as Hyrule."

"Hyrule? Hm, never heard of it." Zelda thought that he was being oddly dismissive.

"Anyway since I had no idea how I got there or how to return to Charcai, I tried my best to adjust to a new life there. While I was there, I wound up meeting three Goddesses. They told me that it is my fate to fight my brother. I also met my friends there. When I found out that I could come back, well, I asked them to come with me."

"Why do you cover your face?" Ricando asked, guardedly looking over at Zelda. Zelda froze momentarily.

 _He will surely recognize the mark on my face!_

"Please do not harass my friend, Sir. She got attacked, and—" Zukto began.

"I can sense incredible power coming from you. I will not simply ignore this."

"Fine, you want to see my face?" Zelda resolutely slid the cowl hood off of her face and laid it across her chest. She looked straight into Ricando's eyes.

"Z-Zukto! She has the mark of the Dark Priest on her face! Why are you traveling with her?! She is a spy for Darkness Orb!" He summoned his staff again. Zelda carefully studied the room, remembering that he had the windows closed up. She was unable to use her power in this present state, however…

 _Wrath, I need you to bring light into this room. Uncover a window or two._

 _Understood, Princess._

Wrath suddenly appeared beside Zelda and used his powers to throw aside the curtains. With light streaming in, Zelda could discern everyone's shadows from one another. She quickly stretched out her shadow and took Ricando's staff from him. The man was surprised at how quickly she took control of the situation.

"I ask that you listen to me before you start jumping to conclusions." Zelda requested, looking unamused.

"Zukto, are you being manipulated by this woman?!"

It took most of Zelda's willpower not to start threatening the man with her magic.

"Excuse me; I barely know who you are. I do not want to assume that you are an enemy, but you need to understand that I trust all three of them—Zelda, Link, and Kyoshiro—with my life. We have been through a lot together already, and I can assure you that Zelda is not someone to be feared."

"Why then is the mark of a Dark Priest on your brow?"

"Krandses directed Kkladekk to go to Hyrule. While there, Kkladekk repeatedly came after me. Someone who is a Hyrule native joined Kkladekk's team, hoping to use Kkladekk's ignorance of our legends against him. This man, known as Ganondorf, got close to Kkladekk and learned some of Darkness Orb's evil magic. Ganondorf then came after me and put this mark upon my face. He transferred a portion of someone's soul into my body, but it was not Krandses' soul. I can assure you that I have nothing but contempt for Kkladekk and Ganondorf; this mark is something I deeply resent living with." While Zelda spoke this time, Zukto helped Kyoshiro and Link understand the current situation.

"How do you feel about journeying with Kkladekk's brother?"

"Zukto would do anything for us. I hate his brother, sure, but I do not hate Zukto. He is a valuable member of our team, after all."

 _Of course she hates him; I understand why. But I still feel disappointed to hear her say it…_

"What is your motivation for stopping Darkness Orb? Why do you fight?" Ricando looked serious.

"My reasons for fighting have evolved slightly over the course of our journey thus far. At first, I thought that by helping Hyrule's Goddesses it would give meaning to my otherwise accidental arrival to their domain. They told me from the beginning that my own brother was the cause of everything, but I honestly did not know whether to believe them. When I saw for myself, though, that Kkladekk was indeed my enemy, I knew that it was my responsibility to stop him. But that's not all… I am fighting for people who have become irreplaceable to me." Zukto explained. Ricando nodded, looking pleased with his answer.

"Kyoshiro and Link, he wants you to explain why you are helping us to defeat Darkness Orb. I shall translate what you say." Zelda explained. The two of them nodded.

"Sir, my childhood was terrible; I never knew my birth parents. At one point, I even considered killing myself because I hated my life and could not see how to make things better. But someone saved me. It still took a few years after that, but I met some pretty crazy people; they are probably my first real friends. And I found my half-sister on top of that. I need to help them stop Darkness Orb so I can enjoy my remaining time with my new 'family.'"

"I am in a similar situation: I had no friends growing up. Fighting beside my new friends gives my otherwise meaningless life a purpose." When Zelda finished translating their answers, it was her turn to respond.

"I must defeat Kkladekk and Ganondorf; the two of them ruined the last twenty years of my life. I frequently have awful nightmares about some of the atrocities they have committed. They deserve no mercy." Zelda scowled.

"Well now. I can't say that I expected your response, Miss…?"

"My name is Zelda."

"Zelda, then. The amount of resentment you have is surprising. Traveling with Zukto and the others for you is just a means to exact your revenge; is that right?"

"Why else would I travel with them?" When Zelda said that, so matter-of-factly, Zukto looked over at her in shock. He wanted to protest her response, but Ricando held up a hand.

"Zukto, calm down; I am trying to discern her true nature. Hm… so the power I sense within you: it is not actually your power. This power threatens to consume you. What is protecting you…?" Ricando seemed to be speaking to himself, carefully observing Zelda. He noticed the golden pendant around her neck; it seemed out of place in comparison to the outfit she was wearing.

"What is this, hm…?" Ricando approached her and reached for the pendant.

"N-no! Do not touch it!" Zelda quickly grabbed the pendant and held onto it, looking defensive. This reaction puzzled Zukto, but he was secretly glad that she was carefully guarding the gift he presented her with.

"That must be special to you, hm? Someone incredibly important to you must have given it to you. Am I right?"

"Y-yes." Zelda muttered, looking away from him. She was still holding onto the pendant.

 _Something seems off about this. Is he somehow drawing out each of the souls that are influencing her?_ Link was quietly observing, unable to understand what they were saying. Despite being unable to understand the conversation, he knew Zelda enough to understand her body language. She was being openly protective about the pendant, which seemed a bit out of character for her.

"Who is the person who gave it to you?" Ricando pressed. Zukto raised an eyebrow, suspecting that Zelda was not going to answer this question.

"Zukto… gave it to me…" She quietly muttered, her face turning slightly red.

 _Why… is she actually answering him…?_ Zukto was perplexed.

"Oh, Zukto? How did it make you feel when he gave it to you?"

 _Surely this time, then, she won't answer him. These questions are too personal._

"I was so happy… he is the first person outside of my family to give me a gift; I will treasure this forever…" Zelda spoke quietly, gripping the pendant, and smiled. It was as if she had forgotten that she was in a room with other people. Zukto blushed slightly.

"Hm, now this is interesting. I sense that there is an evil power within you, one that seeks to overwhelm you. But now, I sense another power—one of light—that seeks to shield you. How did you come to obtain these different powers…?" Ricando took his staff back from Zelda, who had been holding it the entire time. A glyph appeared on the floor underneath her.

"In the name of Charcai, reveal her soul to me." He chanted. The glyph shown brilliantly, revealing apparitions which flanked Zelda. Her eyes looked blank, as if she was no longer conscious. Zukto took a good look at the spirits surrounding her.

One of the spirits standing near her looked like Princess Zelda, but Zukto noted that her face looked different; she looked at peace. This spirit was surrounded by a golden aura. The biggest of the spirits was the exact opposite: it towered above everyone else in the room, and looked almost demonic; he was surrounded by a malevolent aura. The final spirit looked like the first spirit who was surrounded with a bright aura, but this girl had no aura at all. She seemed so meek compared to the other two spirits.

 _Is that… Zelda's true self?_ Zukto marveled.

"I understand, now… the girl is at the mercy of these opposing forces. Even faint stimulus can elicit a reaction from either of these beings. I suspect that she has not been herself in a long time, not with these two fighting inside of her. Zukto, did you know about this?"

"Y-yes Sir. I gave her the pendant to help her control…"

"I see, so your pendant is suppressing the spirit from which the evil power I sensed earlier flows. Suppressing, but not controlling. Even now, its power continues to grow within her. When she claimed that she was only traveling with you in order to seek revenge, I suspect that the evil one was speaking in her stead. And then afterwards, when she admitted that the pendant you gave her was important to her, the spirit with the golden aura was influencing her."

"But, I thought that the pendant had cleared her mind…" Zukto muttered, looking disappointed.

"Zukto… remember that you are back in Charcai. What's more, you are in a place where Krandses' influence is growing at an alarming rate. I believe that Krandses' powers are interfering with the tentative shield you created between the conflicting spirits. For now, I suspect that she will be fine. However, if you remain in Charcai for too long…"

"You are saying that just being here is a danger to Zelda?"

"Yes. The place where she is from must not be as tainted by malevolent magic. We can try something else similar to her pendant, but that is merely treating the symptoms and not addressing the underlying cause of everything."

"But how can we dispel the magic that left the crescent moon-shaped mark on her face? If we could dispel the magic…"

"No, not even that is enough. That spirit," Ricando paused to look up at Demise's imposing apparition before speaking again.

"is trying to consume the spirit of the young girl; look closely." Zukto acted on his suggestion, observing Zelda's spirit. To his dismay, he could see that part of her face was being covered in the strange scales that covered Demise's body.

"By the Goddesses…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ricando took this time to dispel his magic, returning all of the spirits to Zelda's body. She quickly blinked, looking around the room. A look of panic strained her features.

"Zukto! Zukto, I think I blacked out. Tell me, did Demise take over again?!" She looked really troubled. Zukto shook his head as he approached her.

"Everything is fine; I swear that Demise did not take over." He quietly reassured her.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Do you feel okay?"

"I… well I guess I am tired."

"That is completely understandable. Let's do something about that." Zukto turned away from Zelda to talk to Ricando again. Ricando was handing something to Kyoshiro and Link just as Zukto looked over at him.

"What's that?" Zukto asked in Hylian.

"No idea." Link answered, looking at the ring. Kyoshiro had an identical one.

"Well let's just put it on; the guy gave it to us after all." Kyoshiro slipped the ring on absentmindedly.

"I suppose we can trust this guy?" Link asked.

"Yeah, sorry, a lot just happened and you guys probably couldn't understand much of it." Zukto apologized.

"Zukto, speak to them in Charcaian." Ricando suggested. When Ricando spoke, both Link and Kyoshiro looked taken aback.

"Ah! Zukto, I understood him just now!" They both declared in unison.

"Excellent." Zukto answered in Charcaian, smiling.

"But they are still unable to speak it. I merely placed a spell on those rings that will help them understand anything they may hear outside. It is enough though that they will be able to understand, since you and Zelda can speak it." Ricando explained.

"Thank you so much, Sir." Zukto bowed slightly.

"You may rest here for tonight; I suspect you are tired. Let me prepare an evening meal. You are free to relax anywhere within my house or in the back yard, though I highly recommend that you do not wander beyond either of those boundaries. This place should be protected by my magic." With that, Ricando left the heroes alone.

"Let's speak in Hylian for now. No one should be able to understand us, and it's not like Link and I can speak Charcaian anyway." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"Fair enough." Zukto answered.

"So what was all of that anyway?" Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Ricando could sense that Zelda had a strong presence within her. He asked a few questions and then I guess he separated the souls from her body."

"Yes, I could tell immediately which soul was Hylia's. It was so beautiful, and… oddly nostalgic." Link observed.

"Well, you are related to the other heroes. Hylia probably has memories of all of the different times she worked with a hero from your family."

"Ah! He separated the souls from my body…? Just who in Din's name is this guy?" Zelda gasped when she realized what caused her to black out.

"Princess… we saw something pretty worrisome." Zukto sighed, making up his mind to not keep secrets.

"Wh-what…?"

"Demise's soul is starting to infect your soul. You know how Demise's body is covered in scales? Well… your spirit is getting covered with them too." Zelda raised a hand to her mouth and looked away with a pained expression on her face.

"Hey, um, I kind of want some fresh air." Kyoshiro suddenly blurted out.

"Oh, hey, same here. If you need us, we'll be out back." Link hurriedly agreed with Kyoshiro and followed him out of the house.

 _Heh, thanks Kyoshiro. You did that on purpose._ Zukto smiled wryly.

"Before, I actually felt better. My mind was clear and my memories had been fixed. But already, I feel the haze is returning to my thoughts. If this keeps up, I will return to how I was before…" Zelda looked frustrated.

"Princess, I have something to tell you. The reason you got better was because of the pendant I gave you."

"Ah! So it was the pendant all along…" Zelda looked amazed.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea, though. It cannot erase Demise's existence. All it could do was put up a shield of sorts that stopped him from encroaching on your mind. I am not really certain how we can permanently erase his soul from yours, however…"

"There is likely nothing that you can do. Hylia has tried to get me to realize I think that it is my responsibility, and mine alone, to get rid of Demise. You can support me, but the outcome of this situation is ultimately up to my actions."

"So you knew then that Demise was still hiding in your mind?"

"Yes, I suppose I did. Admittedly though, I did not believe Hylia at first because I felt so good. It is hard to explain the difference to someone who has not experienced it for themselves… before you gave me the pendant, my mind was incredibly clouded and I constantly heard voices and saw visions. No matter how much I wished that the voices and visions would cease, they persisted. Everything that was going on inside of my head was enough to drive a person mad.

When you gave me that pendant, however… the fog within my mind immediately cleared and everything was quiet except for my own thoughts. To have experienced that relief after what felt like an eternity… it was an incredible feeling. But now, everything is reverting back to how it was before… again, Demise's voice will call out to me… he will likely take over my body, in an attempt to hurt you… dammit, I do not want this! I just want to be myself again!" Zelda cried out. Zukto looked at her with a start.

… _This makes me wonder… do any of us even know who Zelda really is? This entire time, we have been journeying with a person who is not much more than a puppet for Demise and Hylia. We know for sure that Demise wants to erase all of her memories and her personality so he can use her as he sees fit. But what is Hylia's goal? Is she hoping to use Zelda as well, or does Hylia simply want to help her fight off Demise? I suppose the closest we have seen to Zelda's real self would have been when we met her years ago, back before she got attacked by Ganondorf. We need to help her…_

"Zukto… we need to talk about something personal while we are alone." Zelda suddenly requested, looking away from him.

"Yes? What's on your mind?"

"We, I mean you and I… we have said some things to each other in the past… I just want to talk about this before my mind is clouded again, okay? We… I just do not know what we are. And we really cannot be getting ahead of ourselves…" Zelda muttered incoherently, obviously flustered.

"Hey, Princess, slow down a bit there. You're going on and on and I am not sure what about."

"Zukto… I believe that the tough situations we have been in thus far have confused us."

"Confused…?"

"Looking back, I can see that we have occasionally ignored what greater sense and propriety would tell us to do. We have allowed ourselves to get too caught up in feelings of relief when we have overcome difficult challenges, projecting such feelings as if they were actually feelings of attraction or something along those lines."

"Princess… so you want me to pretend that I do not have feelings for you? Is that what you're saying?" Zukto looked away from her, feeling hurt.

"Zukto, I have just one question for you. If you _really_ … lo-have such serious feelings for me, then can you tell me _why_ you have those feelings? How could you become so emotionally connected to a person like me?" Zelda slowly looked up at Zukto, wondering how he was going to respond.

"Zelda, you cannot rationally explain every little thing; love is irrational."

"Y-you are just naïve! How could you say that you l-love me?" Zelda stammered a bit, hesitating to say the word.

"Me, naïve? The irony of this conversation is almost too much for me. Look, I can accept it if you tell me right now that it is too early for you to feel the same way I do."

"Y-you are so stubborn! Just listen for a minute!"

"Me, stubborn? Princess, you wouldn't happen to be talking about yourself now would you?"

"H-hey! Zukto, I am trying to be serious here!"

"I _am_ being serious: I have feelings for you."

"I cannot see why. I have just been a horrible person to everyone. I have a huge temper; I do not know how to act around men; I take most things literally; I have trust issues; I am impatient; and I have a vicious God within my mind who is hell-bent on destroying me so that he can then subjugate my people."

"What, is that how you convince yourself that you shouldn't have any friends? What about all of the things you like about yourself?"

"I… things that I like about myself…? Hmph. No fair, asking something like that."

"Well? What do you think?"

"I believe that I can fend for myself fairly well; I certainly am more self-sufficient than other members of the Royal Family, and I can fight. I know a little about everything. I feel like the members of my family live too ostentatiously… it is better to live modestly."

"So you can take care of yourself, you value education and discretion… those are great traits."

"You are telling me that you developed feelings for me because of my discretion? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"Like I said, Zelda, love is irrational. And anyway, the answer is complicated."

"That sounds to me like you do not actually have an answer. You know… I really want to hear a proper answer from you; I have a request to make. Sometime while we are traveling together, in the future I mean, I want you to make a mental note of moments when you feel… particularly attached to me, and then you need to explain to me why you feel the way you do. When you can do that to my satisfaction, I will believe you."

"So you have to be satisfied with my answer? We really won't get anywhere that way." Zukto scoffed. Zelda looked indignant.

"Look, technically I cannot be involved with you anyway." She pointed out.

"Can't? Or won't?" Zukto shot back. This question seemed to give Zelda pause.

"Come on… it is not up to me. You know that; I know you do." Zelda sighed.

 _It is wrong for me to have feelings for him, right? Especially if my Father is just going to make me marry some other man… ugh, I refuse to just accept whatever idea my Father has for my future. But what can I do? I feel trapped. Either I act in accordance to my station, and marry some strange guy in order to benefit the Hylian Royal Family… or I refuse to play along with their ridiculous expectations, do exactly as I please, and… well, to be honest, are the negative outcomes of doing as I please really all that bad? What is the worst that could happen, people spreading unsavory rumors about me? Men at the Castle already gossip about me behind my back anyway, so how would that be so different from what I am used to? Hm… perhaps I do not have to acquiesce after all._

"Zelda… when's the last time you made a significant decision for yourself?" Zukto asked suddenly. Zelda froze.

 _Wait a second… when was the last time I made a significant decision? What does that even mean? Naturally I did not choose to be born as I was… I did not choose to be raised with different sets of parents; had no say about the fate of my foster parents; it was not up to me to move in with the King; even this journey is because the Goddesses will it… that means that not a single thing significant thing in my life happened because I wanted it to. How come I never noticed it before… before I was just angry about being born a Princess when I have no desire to be one, but that is not the only problem here: every single damn thing about my life happened because of someone or something else!_

"… I… never noticed it before; I mean the lack of control I have over my fate. Everyone else has already decided everything for me! What the hell is the point of my existence anyway?! I am just a puppet, forced to exist in this god-forsaken world. This whole thing is demoralizing and frankly terrifying; what kind of a sick sense of humor do you have to have to put mortals through this, anyway? I may have 'special powers,' but that does not make any of this easier to bear! I do not know how much longer I can actually endure all of this. I act tough all the time… but dammit, I sometimes just wish I could disappear. How I envy the commoners back in Kakariko Village…" Zelda was clearly on edge.

"Zelda, the point I wanted you to consider was not how much the Goddesses' will manifests itself in your life. You just named things that you had no control over, and sure everyone will be met with circumstances against which they have very few options; what about the other side of this topic? Aren't there things that even the Goddesses do not control?"

"From my perspective, it seems clear that they have been controlling my life from the very beginning."

"Even the people you love?" Zelda took pause when Zukto presented her with this possibility.

"You believe that only I can choose whom I love?"

"Why not? After all if the Goddesses really could choose something like that for you, do you think that they would want you to be so distrustful of your own father? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to influence you to be more amicable with him?"

"Ah, I… never considered it like that." Zelda spoke quietly, looking at nothing in particular. For a few brief moments, they were quiet.

"Even so, Zukto… we need time yet. I insist that you prove to me what is so desirable about me. In the meantime, while you figure that out… I feel like now is not the time for me to pledge my life to anyone. Please be patient with me… there is something I absolutely must accomplish before I can move on with my life." Zelda stated, returning to her usual serious demeanor.

"Something you must accomplish? Princess, are you still thinking about—" Zukto began, hoping that his intuition was wrong.

"I cannot move on until I have avenged my parents' death." Zelda declared, her eyes flashing.

 _So it is true… her desire for revenge is still incredibly strong, to even manifest itself through the magic of the pendant I gave her. How can we possibly get her to move on from her parents' murder? I feel like our journey hinges on whether or not she can accept that tragedy and move past it in a healthy way._ Zukto was feeling nervous, especially because his own brother was partially responsible for the death of her parents.

 _I am sorry Zelda… no matter how much I care for you, I absolutely will not stand by idly if you intend to take my brother's life. I can save both Zelda and Kkladekk… right? It feels so wrong to condemn one of them for the sake of the other… I care about both her and him. I will not lose my brother, and I will not lose the princess._ Zukto nodded with determination. It was still unclear how he could help his brother, who was under the influence of Krandses, but he had to accept that not all answers could be so easily discovered. In time, surely, he would figure out how to save the people he cared about.

As Zukto was thinking to himself, Zelda wandered off.

 _Just how long will our business in Charcai take? And will we find Kkladekk while we are stuck out here? I sure hope so: he and I have unfinished business to attend to._

 _Too right you are, my dear… we have unfinished business with that fool._ A distant voice chuckled ominously within her mind.

"Things are getting really serious now, hm?" Link asked idly as he and Kyoshiro wandered around the garden in the backyard.

"Yeah. Part of me is just awestruck by how much crap we've already been through in such a short amount of time. And I can feel it: this is nowhere near the end of it."

"I'm sorry, I can guess that this would be a sensitive topic for you, but… did you used to wonder about your birth parents? And now that you know who your mother is, are you wondering whether you can find out who your father is?"

"Well, yeah, sure I used to wonder. When I figured out that it was 'normal' for kids to have parents, I wondered why I didn't have any. But the people working at the orphanage made it clear to us that our parents were not coming back for us for any number of reasons. I accepted early on that I might never discover who my actual parents were.

Even when my Uncle finally adopted me, he never admitted his relation to my birth family. I thought he was just some random guy who decided to adopt a son because his only child was a girl. It… it feels weird now to know who my mother was, particularly because the woman who gave birth to me ended up adopting Zelda.

But as for my father… the bastard attacked my mom. She had no choice in the matter… I hope I never figure out who did it. If I do find out, well… I cannot promise that I would be able to hold myself back. Such scum… a man like that does not deserve my respect or mercy." Kyoshiro fumed, settling into a darker mood than was typical for him.

"I completely understand why you would feel such contempt for a man like that, but on the other hand… if he never attacked your mother, you would not be here. So even though it is lamentable what happened to her… she endured the pain of it to bring you into this world. And you are here with us now, trying to save the world. Isn't it humbling? Such a cruel and depraved act actually resulted in something far greater than one might have guessed. If she was still of this world, your mother would most certainly be proud of you."

"God, what're you going on about Link? You say the most embarrassing stuff without batting an eye." Kyoshiro scoffed. His spirits improved though, even if he did not want to admit it.

 _Yeah, I owe you a lot mom. We never got a chance to talk, and I feel kind of bad about that. Things sure as hell haven't been easy, but I'm getting there. Watch over me while you watch over Zelda, will you? I get the feeling that she needs more help than I do, but I'd like to know what it's like to have the support of your family. That's not too much to ask, right?_

"What about you, huh?" Kyoshiro countered, coming out of his thoughts.

"Me? There's really not much to talk about. My parents passed away when I was little, which is why I was with my grandfather. We just stayed isolated for years in the forest… so as far as my youth goes, there's really not much I can say. Oh, yeah… I mentioned before that I haven't really had any friends before you guys came along. I should specify: I did not have human friends. Animal friends though, I have had way more of those than I can keep track of." Link laughed a bit.

"A-animal friends? I guess you played with the animals in the forest then?"

"Well, yes, but… I guess this hasn't really come up yet, has it? I can communicate with animals."

"Wh-what do you mean by that exactly?" Kyoshiro looked bemused.

"Just what I said. Since I didn't have human friends to talk to, I ended up making friends with the animals in the area. I've never been to Charcai before, so I cannot say for sure how well I'll do… but how about I test out my skills for you?"

"I hope you are not opposed to having another spectator." Zelda's voice suddenly interrupted them.

"Ah, Zelda. I did not expect you to show up here so suddenly." Link smiled at her.

"I was curious about what was out here."

"Not much, really. But I guess it feels pretty peaceful." Kyoshiro yawned a bit.

"I grow a number of plants here that have calming scents." Ricando interjected. Everyone turned to look over at their host, who suddenly appeared.

"It does smell lovely here." Zelda nodded, speaking in Charcaian to Ricando.

 _Hm. It appears that for now at least, the malevolent soul within her is quiet. I will need to keep a close eye on her it seems._

"Hey everyone." Zukto joined the group finally.

"Since everyone is here now… I have a request. Please take me with you on your journey." Ricando suddenly asked, catching the adventurers off guard.

"You want… to join us? May I ask why?" Zukto look puzzled.

"Actually, the reason I want to join you is because of earlier. You brought that person into my home, and I am certain that whoever it was is working with Darkness Orb. They will surely send more people after me; I will not be safe here anymore. I believe that I will be safer with you adventurers, and of course my powers will be of use to you. So do we have a deal? Shall we help each other?"

"It makes sense to me to bring him along; his knowledge will be an asset to us." Zelda pointed out.

"Why not? Gods, we are going to have ourselves our own army soon enough." Kyoshiro observed, half-jokingly.

"Y-yeah, okay Ricando. Welcome to the team, then. Do you have an idea of where we should go first? I have to admit that we didn't come here with any leads." Zukto looked lost.

"We must find your parents at all costs."

"I suppose that suggestion is as good as any, though I do not have the faintest idea of how we're going to find them. They could be anywhere in Charcai, right?"

"That assumption, that they could be anywhere, is not strictly speaking correct. I believe that your parents are being held somewhere against their will. Somewhere out of the way likely, perhaps even somewhere connected to Darkness Orb. After all, if you have no idea where they are… then their disappearances are likely connected to Darkness Orb."

"Wh-what?! You think Darkness Orb is the reason no one has seen my parents in eight years?!" Zukto looked really nervous.

"At this point in time, nothing else really makes sense. But let us put this discussion on hold for the time being, at least until we begin our meal. Come." With that, Ricando went back inside. Everyone stole glances at one another.

"So why do you think that Darkness Orb is after this guy? Is this going to cause us problems?" Kyoshiro asked.

"He strikes me as someone who would be very vocal about his disdain for something." Zelda speculated, remembering his nearly-hostile reaction to the mark on her face.

"I doubt that letting him join us will cause us any problems. I mean, you saw what he is capable of. We are probably better off worrying about ourselves than we would be worrying about him." Link pointed out.

"He knows my parents… I think we can trust him." Zukto stated. Zelda looked over at him, feeling reservations. After all, he had automatically believed that spirit thing that had tricked him into believing that it was Charcai.

 _What did that thing want? Was it only using Zukto to get close to Ricando, or did it actually want Zukto? We will need to keep an eye out for it._ Zelda thought to herself.

"Let's go inside for now. I'm famished." Link laughed a bit, leading the group back inside.

After their meal, everyone agreed that they should get as much rest as possible in order to be ready to leave early the next day. While Zelda was on her own, trying to sleep, the other souls who shared her body had a different plan.

 _Princess Zelda, this is Hylia. I have a request to make._

 _Goddess Hylia? What could be so important? I feel exhausted, and would very much like to sleep._

 _Ordinarily, I would be hesitant to ask_ _ **him**_ _for anything. But we are in a very trying situation, and I believe that we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement between the three of us._

… _You actually want the two of us to talk to Demise? Pardon my bluntness, but are you insane?_

 _You are intrigued, are you not?_

 _Fine, I shall humor you. Demise, care to join us?_

 _To what do I owe the pleasure of an invitation from the two of you?_ Zelda could hear the smirk in Demise's voice, which really annoyed her.

 _Demise, this is Hylia. I have been thinking, and I believe that our host's unique circumstance is something that we can all take advantage of. Specifically, I am speaking of the fact that her body has three different souls in it. While we are here in Charcai, we should agree to leave our host's mind alone. In exchange for not meddling in her personal affairs, she could allow you and I to borrow her body; I have a plan._

 _You have a plan, and you actually want to include me? Go on._

 _I know that you want to defeat Kkladekk and the people who work for him. As long as he seeks to capture Zelda, I also want to defeat him. Surely, at this point in time, the other people who work with Kkladekk know about Zelda; he must have told them. But he would have told them that she has black hair and red eyes. If you agree to lay low for a time, I will take over. I can change her hair and eyes back to my colors._

 _This switch will cause confusion, perhaps enough to be able to trick some members of Darkness Orb. The mark on Zelda's face is an ancient symbol in these lands, denoting a connection to Darkness Orb correct? If we change her appearance enough, they might welcome her straight into locations meant only for members of the organization. Once inside, we could destroy such locations before they had any time to realize what was happening._

 _Wow, Hylia. That plan is so devious; I never would have expected something like that to come from you. I think I can agree to your scheme for now; it sounds highly amusing. Girl, don't get too comfortable._ With that, Demise's voice fell silent.

 _Go ahead and get some rest, Princess Zelda. But come the morning, I would like to switch with you if I may._

Zelda did not know how she felt about Demise so easily agreeing to Hylia's scheme; after all, it very well could be a trap. But on the other hand, Hylia's idea was an interesting one. If she could infiltrate a location affiliated with Darkness Orb, they might be able to discover some kind of hint about where they needed to go next. Perhaps they would even be able to discover where Zukto's parents were.

When Zelda woke up in the morning, Hylia immediately asked to trade places with her. The Princess agreed, thinking that they would have a better chance at obtaining useful information if they went on the offensive and took some risks. When Hylia took over Zelda's body, her hair and eyes immediately reverted back to their original colors.

 _Princess, one other thing. We need to maintain the element of surprise for this to work, so I will not tell your friends that we have switched places. I also will not show my face. Are these terms acceptable?_

 _I understand your point. I leave things in your hands for now._

Hylia donned Zelda's full body cloak, pulling the hood up over her head. Now, they would just need to figure out what locations were being used as hideouts for Darkness Orb.

When Hylia left the room, everyone else was already up talking. They looked her direction when she approached them; Zukto immediately looked taken aback.

"Good morning." Hylia simply stated as she sat down with the group, ignoring the look on Zukto's face.

"Morning." Kyoshiro greeted.

"We were just trying to figure out where we ought to go from here." Link explained.

"Yes, this is something that has been on my mind as well. We have no leads or clues right now." Hylia nodded slightly.

"But Link, weren't you saying something crazy yesterday? Something about communicating with animals? How about you just get your forest friends to tell us where there are concentrations of malevolent magic. Such places would be connected to Darkness Orb, I assume." Kyoshiro suggested, looking incredulous.

"Well, yes, I suppose that is an idea. Certainly trying would not be much of a problem. Zukto, can you tell us what beasts are native around here?" Link asked.

"Um, I believe that our friend Ricando would be a better person to ask." Zukto paused a moment to switch into Charcaian.

"Ricando, can you please tell us what kind of creatures, or beasts, are native to this area?"

"We have many types of birds; some small, rodent-like creatures; deer; some reptilian creatures; ah, yes, and wolves." Ricando looked thoughtful.

"Wolves? That kind of reminds me of…" Kyoshiro muttered, thinking back to when he had been attacked as a teenager.

"You are thinking of a Wolfos, right? I say we should track one down. Wolfos are great hunters, after all, and they are quite intelligent. Does anyone have any objections?" Link asked.

"Ricando, my friend wants to capture a wolf." Zukto repeated for their new teammate. The man looked concerned.

"What for…?"

 _Something tells me that our 'friend' Ricando here does not actually need us to translate anything for him. He has not admitted it yet, but I am fairly certain that he knows more than he lets on. I feel something within his soul, something that tells me he is no ordinary mortal._ Hylia thought to herself.

"I guess our friend can communicate with beasts. We are trying to figure out if the wild animals know anything that regular people don't." Zukto explained.

"Just be on your guard: wolves are cunning, and not likely to help you unless you can make it worth their while." Ricando cautioned.

"Worth their while…" Link muttered, looking mystified.

"Well, um, if you really can communicate with these guys… maybe just ask them if they have any problems that they would like some help with." Kyoshiro suggested, looking unconvinced about how successful such a venture might be.

"We can try this diplomatically at first. If something should go wrong, though, I shall defend you with my powers. I doubt that a wolf would stand much of a chance after I immobilize it." Hylia offered. She had to play along, since no one knew she was not Zelda, but it dawned on her that Zelda's abilities were quite different from her own.

 _Zelda, you need to coach me on how to use your powers. I have never manipulated shadows before._

 _I shall help you, Goddess Hylia. But given what magic you have at your disposal, I doubt that my techniques will be difficult for you to learn._

"Where are we going to find a wolf?" Zukto asked.

"Wolves often stay in dens in between hunting parties. We will have to leave town and venture a bit into the mountains. I believe that wolves can be found in the area of Mount Samekh, named after the town. I shall guide you there, if your wish is to confront one of the beasts."

"Thank you, Ricando. We really appreciate it." Zukto nodded with a smile.

"Shall we?" Hylia rose first, remembering that Zelda tended to be impatient and straight to the point when it came to matters such as this. Everyone else wordlessly followed suit, looking to Ricando. The older man calmly led the way out of town. Though the travelers were with him, the villagers still looked on with suspicion.

As the group of adventurers journeyed out of town and towards the mountains, a person who had been standing on a large cliff overlooking the town suddenly sprang into action.

"Master Kkladekk must be informed at once: our target is with his brother!" The woman declared, looking over at her partner. The other person with her nodded wordlessly right before throwing something at the ground. The object exploded with a flash upon impact with the ground; when the flash of light faded, the woman's companion was nowhere to be seen.

"We can count on Shaikh Ethe to deliver the message. In the meantime, let us begin the pursuit. Today must be the day that Ricando draws his last breath!" The woman focused her magic and suddenly an exact copy of her body appeared before her. One of the bodies jumped into a tree to conceal itself while the other one raced further up the mountain.

The group of adventurers decided to take a short break from their hike, as they had already been walking for several hours. Hylia, knowing how attached Zukto was to Zelda, opted to keep her distance. After all, she still wanted to maintain the element of surprise for later. Ricando noticed that the cloaked woman was not conversing with anyone, so he approached her.

"What is the matter, Zelda? Have nothing to say to your friends?" He asked in Charcaian. Hylia looked over at Ricando, her face still obscured by her hood. She paused for a moment to review Zelda's knowledge of Charcaian. Before speaking, she cast a spell that would prevent the others from overhearing their conversation.

"You can drop the act, you know. I know that you know Hylian." Hylia calmly stated in Charcaian.

"Hm, so then my senses have not betrayed me. I noticed it this morning when you joined us, but I did not say anything because I briefly doubted myself. I see that my doubts were unnecessary: you are not the woman Zelda. Which of the other two souls within Zelda are you?" Ricando began speaking in Hylian, looking expectant.

"My name is Hylia: I am a Goddess of Hyrule. I chose millennia ago to be reincarnated in a mortal's body. Every so often, my soul manifests itself in the daughters of the Hylian Royal Family. I would ask, however, that you do not mention anything to Zukto and the others about the fact that I am currently controlling the girl's body."

"Why are you controlling her?"

"I have a plan for when we find a location with ties to Darkness Orb. But it requires that my identity remain a secret for now. In exchange, I will not say anything to them about you. I can feel it in your soul: you are not mortal, are you?"

"Hm. Now this is interesting… I did not expect my secret to be discovered so easily. It is as you say: I am not mortal. I have been alive for millennia, like you. And I appreciate your offer to keep my nature hidden, as I did not intend to reveal myself to Zukto so soon."

"What is Zukto to you?"

"I am to guide him on his journey. For the sake of Charcai, and Hyrule, we must defeat Krandses. But we should put this conversation on hold for now, as they are coming this way." Ricando quickly muttered. Hylia nodded.

"Are you sufficiently rested?" Hylia asked the men as she quietly dispelled her magic from before.

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks for being patient. What were you two talking about so secretly over here?" Link asked.

"Hm, I wonder. At any rate, we should proceed." Hylia had no interest in humoring Link's question, though part of her felt bad for talking to her old champion like that. She could feel the soul of the hero who once flew the skies on a red Loftwing within him… but of course, she knew that the man before her would have no memories of that life.

"We have a while more to climb." Ricando stated in Charcaian, happy that Hylia was willing to keep his secret.

"Zelda, you have been preoccupied today I noticed…" Zukto began quietly as he settled into step beside Hylia.

"And you are here to pry?" Hylia asked.

"I am more of worried about you. I mean, we did see yesterday that…"

"Oh, that. Right now I feel fine, if that is what you are wondering about."

"I suppose that is good news. But…"

"But?"

"You are being awfully distant."

"I told you yesterday that we have allowed ourselves to act in a way that is improprietous."

 _Hylia, you are unexpectedly good at speaking like me._

 _You may not have been able to speak with me until recently, but I have always been here within your mind. I know your mannerisms well._

"Sometimes, yeah, maybe I can be rather direct, but…" Zukto muttered, not sure how to finish his sentence.

"Do you hear something?!" Hylia suddenly assumed a defensive stance, looking around. It sounded like something was moving in their direction and picking up speed.

"Hey, I hear something… but it's so strange. What is that noise?" Link asked.

"Everyone, gather around me!" Hylia declared as she looked up. She was certain that she was hearing a rock slide, and their best bet was to rely on her magic. The adventurers quickly circled around her, slightly confused about her sudden outburst. Just as some boulders flew into her line of sight, Hylia constructed a powerful barrier to protect everyone. The rocks shattered against the barrier on impact, sending dust and debris scattering. It took a moment for the dust to settle.

"Everyone is okay, yes? Let us continue onward: this area is obviously not safe." Hylia continued walking as if nothing had happened.

"Damn, that could have gotten a lot worse." Kyoshiro observed.

"How did Zelda notice those incoming boulders so quickly?" Link looked amazed. Zukto was just as curious as Link was.

 _That was no accident. Those boulders were specifically meant to crush us, I believe. They must be after me again._ Ricando brooded. He was not too worried though: after all, Kkladekk's henchmen would be unable to kill him even without Hylia serving as his body guard. But if Darkness Orb was actively pursuing him, he was worried about having to reveal his identity to Zukto much earlier than intended…


	21. A Conflict of Interests

The next stretch of the hike up into the mountains proceeded without incident, though Hylia was now paying more attention to their surroundings. She repeatedly scanned the pathway ahead as well as the cliffs on either side of them as her ears strained to pick up on any out-of-the-ordinary noises. For now, defending the adventurers was her top priority.

"Zelda seems on edge, doesn't she?" Link quietly asked.

"She can hear you, you know." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"Maybe it's a good thing that she can hear us. This way she will understand that we are worried about her." Zukto stated.

 _Hmph, you think I do not realize that already?_ Zelda thought to herself.

 _We must keep up our ruse for a while yet: let us ignore them for now._

 _Yes, I leave it to you._

"We are getting higher up into the mountains. We might be able to spot some dens before long." Ricando stated, still speaking in Charcaian.

"I'll lead the way from here. The wolves are likely to get aggressive if we get too close." Link warned.

"Ricando! Stop right there!" A female's voice suddenly cried out. Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"Who said that…?" Hylia muttered, concerned about why she had not detected anyone's presence.

To everyone's amazement, Zelda stopped in the middle of the pathway ahead of them. Zukto looked at the Zelda up ahead and then back at the woman under the cloak. How could Zelda be standing in front of them if Zelda had been walking with them the whole morning?

"Nice disguise. But if you really wanted to pretend to be me, you should not have made it clear to everyone that you have business with Ricando. We encountered someone just yesterday who seemed to be after him. If you are, too, then it stands to reason that you work together. Am I wrong?" Hylia surmised, feeling smug.

"Hmph. I did not take up this form specifically to trick you all, although that would have been a good bonus. No, this is more of a defensive strategy."

"Oh, I see. You assume that no one will attack you if you and I get locked into a battle because they will worry about hurting the wrong Zelda. Let me tell you something, though: the men with me are not who you should concern yourself with. I am more than a match for you; let us settle this one-on-one." Hylia ran straight towards the copycat Zelda when she finished speaking, not wanting to give the girl any time to react.

 _Alright Princess, let us see how your powers work!_ Hylia thought, feeling invigorated.

 _This should be easy for you, but my trick is to feel the shadows. When you can feel that they are an extension of yourself, you can manipulate them at will._

Hylia took a moment to do as Zelda instructed. To her surprise, all of the shadows surrounding them suddenly took on a life of their own. Before, they just seemed to sit lifelessly against the ground. Now, they almost seemed to pop out of the ground straight at her.

With a flourish, Hylia extended her shadow in attempt to immobilize the girl pretending to be Zelda. To everyone's surprise, the copycat Zelda did the exact same thing! The two shadows met in the center, grappling one another in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

"Wh-what in Farore's name is going on here?! They both have the same powers? How is it that possible…?" Link was too stunned to know what to do.

"Well, we know one thing: one of those Zeldas is not actually Zelda. We need to figure that out first, and then…" Kyoshiro muttered, looking equally lost.

"You think you can over take me just by copying one of my moves? Underestimating me will only end badly for you." Hylia warned, smiling to herself under the hood of the cloak. The Triforce on the back of her right hand lit up, and a large Triforce glyph appeared on the ground under the other Zelda. Since the other Zelda was locked in a struggle against Hylia's shadow, she did not have enough time to react. The glyph shone brightly, and the other Zelda's shadow dissipated for a moment.

"What?! How did you…?!" The other girl was caught off guard. Taking advantage of her confusion, Hylia once again extended her shadow and used it to pin the woman down.

"Did you see that?!" Kyoshiro asked, clearly in awe.

"Come on! We shouldn't just stand back here and watch!" Zukto quickly ran after the two Zeldas. Link and Kyoshiro quickly followed suit.

"Who are you, anyway? You cannot be Zelda, because I am Zelda." Hylia demanded, standing over the strange woman.

"Heh. You are certainly a tricky opponent. I admit that I underestimated you, but I will not make that mistake again. How about we go to round two?" The woman asked, looking smug for some reason. Hylia suddenly looked taken aback. The copycat still thought that she had a chance? In the brief moment that Hylia was debating what to do about the girl, her opponent's body briefly shone with a strange light. It twisted its shape, and suddenly Hylia was standing face to face with Kkladekk!

"Brother!" Zukto declared, surprised to see that the woman Zelda had been fighting was now his brother.

"Did you miss me, my brother? As much as I would love to chat with you, I have important business to attend to. I have been searching for our mutual friend Ricando Raffiech for quite some time, and now that I know where he is I cannot let him escape me."

"Why are you after him, anyway?"

"I am afraid that my reasons cannot be freely disclosed. If you promise to stay out of my way, I will not hurt you."

"Ricando says that Darkness Orb must be stopped at all costs. Since you are the leader of Darkness Orb, I am afraid that I cannot promise you anything."

"I expected as much. The time for diplomacy is long past, after all. We have already chosen our paths, and now we must fight for our ideals with our entire beings. If I fight well here, I may even accomplish two of my goals in one fell swoop!" Kkladekk's mysterious book suddenly flipped open, and a glyph appeared on the ground underneath him.

Hylia quickly invoked the power of the Triforce of Wisdom, surrounding Kkladekk with another glyph. The Triforce appeared underneath him, shining with a brilliant light. Kkladekk's own glyph was swallowed by the Triforce, and suddenly the book closed itself.

"Zelda, you already have this much power…! I am thoroughly impressed!" Kkladekk laughed.

"You are not Kkladekk, either. Who are you?" Hylia demanded. Surely the real Kkladekk's magic could not be so easily dispelled, she reasoned.

"Hmhmhmhm… I am everyone and I am no one. Strictly speaking, my identity does not exist because I am whoever I must be. Everything about me can change at will… but if you really must refer to me by a name you can call me Ruellian Motiss. Just Ruellian for short is fine. But should you really be so concerned about my identity?"

"You have yet to establish yourself as a threat, so I see no need to be concerned about fighting you." Hylia pointed out, confident that she was more than a match for their newest Darkness Orb acquaintance.

"Perhaps, but…" Ruellian, still in Kkladekk's form, deliberately flipped back through her book.

"Let's see what you really are!" Ricando suddenly declared, joining the fight. His staff glowed, summoning a glyph under the Kkladekk copycat.

"In the name of Charcai, reveal this person's soul to me!" The glyph flashed briefly, and Ruellian completely disappeared!

"Wh-what just happened…?" Zukto asked, wondering if Ricando meant to send their opponent away. Ricando was caught off guard momentarily, not expecting his magic to have that kind of effect on his target.

"It appears that we were fighting with an illusion." Hylia observed after a moment's pause.

"Hm, an illusion. That would make sense. An illusion has no soul, so that is why my target suddenly disappeared." Ricando mused.

"Well, um… I guess that means we are free to continue?" Kyoshiro asked, feeling like the fight he just witnessed was one big mess.

"Zelda, before we get distracted with other business you must tell us: how did you learn to invoke the Triforce's power like that?" Link asked in amazement. Zukto had to admit that he shared in Link's curiosity.

"Hylia is instructing me. Lately, she has been speaking to me more." Hylia lied.

"Is that why you have been quiet lately? You two are talking?" Zukto asked.

"Yes."

"You could have just come out and said that. But even if Hylia is speaking to you, I'd like to remind you to not forget about us."

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, we should continue." She abruptly changed topics, not wanting to talk more than was necessary. Link took the lead finally, leading everyone up out of the mountain pass and into highland. After a while, he slowed his pace.

"I see tracks here: some of these are fairly recent, I believe. We are definitely in the right place." He observed.

"Now, how do we get the wolves to talk to us as opposed to just attacking us?" Zukto asked, slightly worried that they were in over their heads.

"I think that you guys need to stay back a bit. I will try to approach them first. They will feel less threatened if it is just me."

"You really trust a wolf not to take advantage of the fact that you will be outnumbered?" Kyoshiro asked incredulously.

"The greatest feats of man and beast are accomplished when we let down our guard and place genuine trust in those around us. Nothing great is ever accomplished when everyone fears each other. So yes, I will trust these wolves." With that, Link slowly approached the nearest den.

"Gods, protect Link…" Hylia muttered to herself.

Noticing that no wolves were prowling about the entrance, Link decided to enter the den proper. There were some bones scattered about the floor of the cave, the leftovers of meals past. A couple of wolves appeared to be sleeping, but Link could hear snarling coming from somewhere within the den. When he looked around, he could see a pair of glowing eyes. The wolf was crouched low to the ground, warning Link to leave their territory.

Link crouched down to the ground as well, trying to display non-aggressive body language. The wolf kept growling and snarling, and it did not take long for another one of the wolves to wake up. When it realized that Link was in the den, it also went on the defensive.

"I am not here to hurt you. I would ask your help." Link calmly stated. The wolves continued their aggressive behavior, seemingly unconcerned with Link's request. Just as Link was considering leaving the den, his ears picked up on the soft sound of a wolf's padded feet walking in his direction. Before long, the new wolf revealed itself. When the wolves surrounding Link saw this other wolf, they stopped snarling. It walked right up to Link.

 _Mortal, I can sense your soul. Your soul is not unlike that of my brothers and sisters, though your skin is that of man; I am intrigued by you. What brings you into our territory?_ It was obvious that none of the wolves were actually speaking, but Link could plainly hear a voice inside of his mind.

 _Thank you for speaking to me. I come to ask for your cooperation. We have need of your keen senses._

 _Before we assist you in any way, I would ask for you to perform a task. Should you succeed where we cannot, we will help you._

 _What do you require of me?_

 _Follow me._ The wolf began to leave the den. Link stood up and followed closely.

 _There was a spring here some time ago, but a rockslide plugged it up. Man has many tools at his disposal to shift rock, does he not? Clear up the rockslide and reveal the water to us, and I shall assist you._ The wolf explained.

 _I shall see what I can do._ Link nodded before running back to where his friends waited.

"Okay, that wolf asked for our help. If we can clear up a rockslide that is blocking access to a spring, they will help us. We need to figure out how we are going to clear all that rubble, though." Link looked a bit puzzled.

"You know, um, I've been holding onto these for a while…" Kyoshiro started, pulling out a pair of gauntlets. Everyone stared at them in amazement.

"H-how long have you had these things? I've never seen you use them." Zukto pointed out.

"O-of course not! We got them back in the Shadow Temple." Kyoshiro explained. Zukto fell silent for a moment, briefly allowing his mind wander back over everything that happened since then…

"Why don't you at least try them on and test them out a bit? We need to figure out what they do, after all." Link's interest was piqued.

"S-sure. Here goes nothing." Kyoshiro slipped both of his hands into the gauntlets, and could feel a strange sensation in both of his arms. He slowly clenched and unclenched the muscles in his hand, trying to adjust to the feeling of the new armor. They were surprisingly lightweight, though Kyoshiro reminded himself that they were most likely enchanted.

 _I hope they are enchanted to boost my strength, or something. Guess there's only one way to find out._ He approached the rubble, eyeing it to size up some of the boulders.

"We should all help. Zukto and Link, see if the two of you can work together to remove some of the medium-sized rocks. That will give Kyoshiro more room to deal with the large ones." Hylia suddenly directed.

"What about you?" Kyoshiro asked, raising an eyebrow at his adoptive sister.

"I can move objects too, remember?" Hylia pointed out as her shadow extended towards the rubble. Shadowy arms began to jump out at the rockslide, grabbing sizable, loose chunks of debris. The shadowy arms deftly maneuvered around one another as they began to form a pile of the relocated rock.

 _I saw her do something like this back in the library… she used her shadow to grab some books from a high shelf. But her shadow only grabbed one book at a time back then; how is she controlling so many separate arms like that?_ Zukto furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what was different about the princess. She was not being controlled by Demise, was she? Though she had been quite distant the entire morning, nothing about her behavior at the moment was comparable to Demise's when he had taken control of her in the past. Zukto decided not to say anything, though.

Knowing that Zelda would scold him for not participating, Zukto got Link to approach a sizable boulder with him. Both of them bent their knees closer to the ground and positioned their arms on each side of the rock.

"Got a good grip? We are going to have to lift together to move this thing." Zukto looked across at Link, who nodded silently. The two men pushed up with their legs into a standing position, and they were able to lift the rock off the ground.

"Gods, this thing is heavy." Link groaned as they slowly maneuvered away from the rubble pile with the large boulder in tow. Hylia stopped what she was doing momentarily to watch them, wondering if she should use her powers to help them. The two of them stopped a few feet away from the rockslide and stared at each other, trying to figure out how to lower the rock without hurting themselves. Hylia ran over to them.

"I will help. Just hold on for a second." Her shadow extended and grabbed onto the boulder.

"You two may let go now." She directed. Both Link and Zukto let go of the rock and stepped away. Hylia's shadow still kept the boulder suspended on its own for a moment, but she quickly recalled her shadow. The rock fell, and left a bit of an impression in the ground upon impact.

"Kyoshiro, you should be able to get to the biggest boulders now." Hylia observed.

"Y-yes, but…" Kyoshiro paused.

 _How can I destroy these things without destroying my hand in the process?_ He thought, feeling concerned.

"Is something wrong?" Hylia asked.

"Er, well, you don't have to worry about your hands when you use your powers. But um, in case you didn't realize it, asking someone to punch through rock is kind of a crazy request: I could seriously injure my hands." Kyoshiro looked incredulous.

"Oh, I see. But you need not be concerned about such things. I see that the gems on the back of those gauntlets have Din's insignia on them. Those are often referred to as Din's Pearls. Seeing that symbol, I am positive that these gauntlets will allow you to invoke Din's power to remove large, earthen obstacles from your path. Remember the old stories? Goddess Din used her flaming arms to carve out Hyrule's very mountains and valleys. I believe that you have that power now." Hylia explained. Kyoshiro looked pretty intrigued by the time she finished.

"Wow, I can carve out mountains like Goddess Din?"

"I suspect that no, you will not have that kind of capability. After all, using such a power on such a large scale would require massive amounts of magic. I can only assume that your magic power is nowhere near as potent as Din's."

… _Do I even have any magic power at all?_ Kyoshiro thought in a panic.

 _Hm… does this one have any magic power? I do not sense much; perhaps I should lend him some of mine. But I will not say anything, lest his suspicions be raised about my identity._ Hylia focused her power briefly, releasing some of it directly into Kyoshiro's body.

 _Wait, I feel… different all of a sudden. Like I have extra power? Hm…_ Suddenly, the gauntlets Kyoshiro was wearing cloaked themselves with fire!

"Whoah! Heh, look at that. Now this is cool." Kyoshiro remarked, chuckling. Hylia smiled wryly.

"Dang, now that's something else." Link commented, looking amused.

"Is it really so different from the ring you have?" Zukto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I believe so. The ring releases a blast of magic in a radius around the wearer, but these gauntlets use a combination of magic power and physical strength to punch through rock. Show us how it's done, Kyoshiro."

"With pleasure!" Kyoshiro closed in on his target and thrust his clenched right hand straight into the largest section of rock. The cloak of fire softened the rock before his fist made impact with it, allowing his fist to push through more of the rock. When he pulled his fist back out, the rock fractured into several smaller sections.

"Very nice, Kyoshiro: that is just what we needed. How is your hand?" Hylia asked.

"I feel pretty good. It didn't actually hurt at all." Kyoshiro pointed out, wanting everyone to understand that he was perfectly capable of handling their newest artifact.

"We can lift the rest of this out of the way now, I believe." Hylia observed as her shadow hands returned to carry off sections of rock. As the group removed more and more rock, water began to seep up from the ground.

 _You are doing a great job. Be careful now, as the water may surge up soon. I recommend that you all stand back._ The wolf spoke into Link's mind again. Link jumped slightly, as he had forgotten about the wolf's strange abilities.

"E-everyone, the wolf tells me that we need to get back!" He stammered. Everyone looked at him quizzically but they heeded his warning. Within moments, a large column of water shot up into the air and sent the last few pieces of debris flying. Zelda quickly erected a barrier to protect everyone from the flying rocks. The column of water steadily shrunk, and water began to fill the basin they were standing near.

 _To begin, I must thank you for fulfilling my request. Seeing your teamwork was interesting, as well. Humans are pretty intriguing beings._ The wolf spoke into everyone's minds this time.

"You are quite intriguing, yourself." Hylia observed.

 _Ah yes, you are referring to my ability to speak into your minds. Well, I myself am no ordinary wolf as you may have guessed. I am an ancient wolf spirit who guards these lands. I believe that it was no coincidence that our paths crossed today; seeing as you upheld your end of our bargain, I now must repay my debt to you. What do you ask of me, young adventurers?_

"We are seeking any location that is somehow connected to my brother. I should explain though that my brother is no ordinary person: he is quite powerful thanks to an evil spirit which we believe is controlling him." Zukto explained.

 _What kind of evil spirit are we talking about?_

"The spirit of Krandses."

 _Charcai preserve us. Your brother is the one Krandses chose as his vessel? Yes, I know Krandses' soul well: it is one of greed and malice. Boy, your friends seem strange to me; I assume that they are not of Charcai?_ The wolf directed this question to Zukto.

"Correct; we are of the ancient Kingdom of Hyrule." Hylia answered.

 _Hyrule… so that is indeed why your soul seems so familiar to me, stranger._ The wolf directed this comment to Link.

"If you do not mind, I would be grateful if you explained what you mean." Link replied.

 _It is no trouble. Long ago, the strongest and most evil man to ever walk Hyrule's sacred lands joined forces with a being from a parallel dimension. The two of them conspired to turn Hyrule into a place of shadows._

 _I do not know if you know this, but Hyrule has several sister worlds and dimensions. One such place is referred to as the Twilight Realm. Beings from the Twilight Realm can only exist as shadows in Hyrule proper, and reversely beings from the realm of light exist as spirits within the Twilight Realm._

 _The two villains succeeded in blanketing several provinces of mainland Hyrule with Twilight, thereby causing the denizens to become as spirits. Their intention was to rule over the two worlds uncontested, as almost all of the beings from the Twilight Realm had become mindless beasts. They cast a denizen of the Twilight Realm out because she would not submit to them, forcing her into Hyrule proper; that was perhaps one of their biggest mistakes._

 _There, in a province already blanketed by Twilight, she found a Hylian youth who had been captured. Instead of becoming a spirit within the blanket of Twilight, like everyone else, a divine power allowed this youth to instead change into a divine beast. The form the youth took was that of a wolf._

 _The denizen of the Twilight Realm joined her power with that of the youth protected by the Gods. The two of them were able to defeat both of the villains and return both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm to normal._

 _Young one, your soul is so familiar to me because once upon a time I believe that you were that very same youth who transformed into the divine beast to drive back the encroachment of the Twilight Realm._

"That is an incredible story, and I thank you for sharing it. It makes me feel rather insignificant, knowing what my ancestors have managed to do." Link smiled somberly.

 _Boy, do not be discouraged by great deeds of the past. You must remember to honor your past, and part of honoring the past is dutifully playing your role in the present. You have inherited a great legacy, and whether you like it or not someone one day will be looking to you for inspiration. Make sure to be the man you would want a new generation to emulate._

"Your wisdom is more than I deserve."

 _I must dutifully play my role, hm? Is that all I am good for? Hylia, are you sure that I am actually the right person to be Hyrule's Princess? I have had just about all I can take of all of this._ Zelda projected her thoughts to Hylia. Hylia immediately picked up on how annoyed Zelda sounded.

 _I do not understand why you have a hard time accepting your role. None of the Zeldas before you hesitated to assume the title of Princess of Hyrule: they dedicated themselves to their Kingdom and to their people._ Hylia answered matter-of-factly.

 _But what does something that some girl did hundreds of years ago have anything to do with me?_

 _Zelda, we are all one in the same; your soul is my soul. You cannot be anyone except the heiress of my legacy. You, and your entire Kingdom, exist thanks to me. It is my divine duty to guide my people to peace and prosperity. Since you and I are one now, it is also_ _ **your**_ _duty to guide my people—no,_ _ **our**_ _people—to peace and prosperity. I made the decision centuries ago to be reborn as a mortal woman; there is nothing you can do about this fact._

 _I am so sick of being told what to do and how to live my life. If I do not stand up for myself now, I will lose the chance to make my own decisions. When we find wherever Kkladekk is hiding, I am taking my body back. I, and I alone, will fight him. And then when he is out of my way—_

 _By the Gods, why are you so fixated on yourself? You are the most selfish Princess I have ever had to work with._ Hylia cut Zelda off impatiently. Zelda was taken aback by Hylia's thoughts.

 _I do not think that your parents raised you that way; they would have expected better of you._ Hylia continued when she noticed that Zelda was not responding.

 _Wh-what the hell do you know about them?! Do not talk as if you know them!_ Zelda shot back angrily.

 _You forget that I am you. I have access to all of your memories, your fears, your darkest secrets… so yes, I believe that I know just as much as you do about your foster parents, if not more._

 _You and I are nothing alike._ Zelda thought bitterly.

 _Perhaps you are right. My main concern is not with myself but rather for my suffering people. You very well cannot say the same._

 _Why do you even need me in the first place? Just go help your people yourself! Leave me be. I never asked to be involved with any of this. I was quite content to stay with my foster parents back in Kakariko._

 _Zelda, pay attention to what I am saying for more than two seconds. I am you: I cannot up and leave your body. I left behind my immortal form ages ago to become a mortal._ _ **We**_ _must work together to stop Demise, Ganondorf, and Kkladekk. Whether you like it or not, we are partners for life. Besides, might I gently remind you that you realistically have no choice in the matter because my powers far exceed your own? What could you possibly do to stop me?_

 _Why do you defy me so much anyway? As I recall, you genuinely respect the Golden Goddesses. Why do you then protest so much against me, the Goddess to whom the Golden Goddesses entrusted the protection of the Triforce so many ages ago? The Goddess who protected your ancestors? The Goddess who sealed away Demise?_

 _That is great and all, but might I remind you that you are no longer a Goddess?_ Zelda retorted.

 _The reason I chose to become a mortal was so that I could use the Triforce myself. Having you as a vessel is quite convenient. You must have noticed earlier that Wisdom is potent on its own, though you have no idea how to use its power like I do. I may no longer possess a body with the immortality of a God, but I still have the power of one. My soul continually reincarnates, so not possessing an immortal body is honestly not a huge concern of mine. You would have died a while ago without my power: remember that._

 _Oh, so you are threatening me now? You certainly are not trying to get on my good side._

 _My priority is not to get you to like me. But I ought to remind myself that you will continue to behave this way thanks to Demise's influence. Of course you defy me while he is influencing you: Demise hates me with every fiber of his being. His hatred and malice have penetrated your very soul. One day soon, I can only hope, we will release you from his grasp._

 _How about this? Leave me out of your personal matters. If Demise hates you so much, then I feel like I ought to let the two of you finish each other off. That would solve all of my problems._

 _Your short-sightedness is appalling, Princess Zelda. I can see that you are simply being obstinate to get on my nerves; the last thing I need right now is you running off on your own. Rest assured that I will not allow you to regain control of your body should we locate something related to Darkness Orb. You are bound to behave rashly, and I cannot have you ruining my plans._ With that, Hylia stopped communicating with Zelda.

"Zelda? Is everything okay?" Zukto asked, furrowing his brow. He had been trying to talk to her, but she had been utterly unresponsive.

"Ah, I apologize: I was having an important discussion. Are we ready to leave now?" Hylia casually asked, seemingly unconcerned about whatever had been happening during the conversation she had with Zelda.

"S-sure." Zukto was still bothered by her behavior, but he knew there was nothing they could do about it.

 _If you would, follow me. I believe I can lead you to a location with a connection to Krandses. But I know not what kind of dangers may await you there; I recommend that you steel yourselves._ The wolf spirit warned them before leading them back down the mountain. The group silently followed its new companion.

… _I didn't really question it before, but I am having trouble remembering some stuff. My time working at the BH… why are my memories about it so incoherent? At first I had trouble remembering how I even got there; I mean, for a while I had completely forgotten that Zelda and I met so many years ago. I was brought to that hospital, and she was there… she was told to look after me… but then after that… let's see… the Warden brought me to the BH, didn't he?_ Kyoshiro tried his best to concentrate, taking advantage of the fact that no one was saying anything.

 _Something is not right here: Zelda is even more distant than she's been in the past. I need to figure out what is going on. It's not just that she's being even more aloof, but there's also the matter of the inexplicable heightening of her magical powers. We have been together this whole time, and yet she suddenly is much more powerful than I would have expected her to be in such a short amount of time._

 _She is being too calm for this to be the work of Demise, I think. Demise certainly would have the capabilities she has been displaying thus far: after all, she called on the power of the Triforce back there. None of us saw how she actually did it… we know that she possesses the Triforce of Wisdom, but Demise has a piece as well doesn't he? What if the Triforce earlier was his, and not hers? But again, there is the issue of her behavior… Demise tends to insult everyone around him, and I feel like he would have tried to take advantage of us being alone in the mountains together. He has attacked us before, and it would be easier for him to deal with us if there was no one else around. There is that other one… Hylia… could it be that Hylia decided to do what Demise has been doing, and took control of Zelda's body?_

 _This must not be easy for Zelda… always having someone else tell her, or worse yet, force her, to do what they want her to do. She probably feels hopeless, not being able to make her own decisions. Impa said before that we can trust Hylia, and I of course trust Impa to know who our allies are. But that still does not invalidate Zelda's feelings. It's not a bad thing to want to feel like you are in control of something. Based on what Zelda said earlier… she has not really been in control of anything since day one. That's why she is quick to lash out at others. Whenever she feels her freedom being threatened, of course she would get defensive. Wouldn't the rest of us feel the same way?_ Zukto felt uneasy. He did not know much about Hylia, besides the fact that she was Demise's counterpart. Clearly, her powers were to be reckoned with. If Hylia really was controlling Zelda, did that mean that Demise was no longer a threat to them?

 _I wish I could have brought Epona with me. I made sure to leave her at the Palace, so at least I know that she is being cared for. But she does not know any of the horses there, so I doubt she feels much at ease. And of course, no one is around to sing her favorite song. Sorry, Epona… I don't like leaving you on your own, but I didn't have much of a choice. I'll try to make it up to you whenever we finally get back…_

 _Speaking of, I wonder how we will be able to return home. None of us have made any headway in regards to that predicament. There has to be a way back, right? After all, Kkladekk somehow found out how to travel back and forth between Charcai and Hyrule. Was it merely thanks to Krandses' power? If so, we just need someone on our side with considerable magic strength as well. I admit it's easier said than done, though, to find someone with the necessary magical power. I wonder if we might find any clues when we finally find where the members of Darkness Orb are hiding._ Link sighed, pulling out his ocarina. It was too quiet for his liking, so he put the instrument to his lips and began to play his favorite song.

Everyone looked over at Link with a start when they heard the melody from the instrument. The sound startled them from their thoughts, but no one said anything. The melody was soothing, allowing them to return to their thoughts.

Zelda started to hum along in her head.

 _What are you doing?_ Hylia questioned.

 _Eh? Oh, sorry, I do not know. This song suddenly sounded familiar to me. Link played it before, but it did not mean anything to me back then. Now, however… I remember it. I heard this song several years ago._

 _This means that you met my champion before._ Hylia observed.

 _Your champion? Do you mean Link? Well, I suppose he must be related to the other legendary heroes. I know that no one at the Palace ever played a song like that, so the assumption that we did meet previously seems fair. I do not quite remember the details, though._

 _Your destiny is certainly intriguing._ Hylia mused.

 _Hmph. What is so great about not being able to create your own path?_

 _Princess, what exactly is it that you wish to do that you cannot do? You do not actually have any ideas, do you?_ Hylia retorted.

 _Well, I—that is…_ Zelda's thoughts trailed off. She realized that Hylia had a point: what would she do—further, what _could_ she do—outside of assuming her destined role as Hyrule's leader?

 _I just have not been given a chance to explore that question for myself._ Zelda finally thought, grumbling a bit.

 _You sure are a stubborn one. Your stubbornness certainly causes me some problems, but at the same time I must admit that it can be quite useful._

 _There_ _ **has**_ _to be something I can do that my fate has not already decided for me. Just watch: I will figure it out. I cannot be satisfied with only doing what someone else wants me to do._

 _I do not much care what you do, as long as you cooperate with me when I need your assistance. For the record, I do not think it is bad that you wish to make choices for yourself. However, I will not allow you to so casually make decisions that could endanger us or your friends. Everyone you have met thus far plays a role in your fate, and I will make certain that my goals are realized by using everyone and everything to my full advantage. If I fail, nothing short of the destruction of your Kingdom and Hyrule's people will follow. You cannot very well control your own fate if Demise is controlling you… am I wrong? It seems to me that you have a better chance at finding your own answers when I am around, as opposed to_ _ **him**_ _._

 _As much as I wish I could make you be quiet for a while, I admit that you are the preferable partner._ Zelda thought.

 _Get used to it. Maybe if you were more cooperative, I would not need to try to redirect your attention all the time._

 _Is that a euphemism now for lecturing someone? That is what it seemed like you were doing to me._

 _I have nothing but pity for your friends. How difficult it must be for them to have any kind of productive conversation with you: your words often drip with sarcasm, and you are so morose. It would tire even the most patient of souls._

 _Being a mild-mannered, dainty, quiet, obedient, little girl is so pathetic. And it is not like I am always confrontational: I mostly act like this when I cannot stand someone. I honestly cannot stand you, Hylia._

 _Why, because I do not let you walk all over me like everyone else does? I am frankly shocked that your father, the King of Hyrule, puts up with it the way he does. He is far too forgiving of you._

 _I do not give a damn about what_ _ **he**_ _thinks. I do not need his forgiveness, acceptance, or anything._

 _What did His Majesty ever do to you to deserve this kind of vitriol?_

 _I cannot stand him. He ignored me for fifteen years of my life; even when my foster parents were killed, he continued to hide our relationship. And then when he finally revealed himself, he was foolish enough to believe that I would willingly run into his arms and listen to his every desire… yeah, right. I would rather join Krandses' strange cult than listen to a man who left me on my own for all of those years. It does not matter to me if we are connected by blood… family is not supposed to abandon one of their own. Since he seems to think it is okay, then he should be fine with one fewer family member. Besides, he has another daughter. I say that that they should just leave everything to her. After all, she actually grew up in the Castle. Everyone knows her as the Princess; me, I am absolutely nobody. I truly prefer it that way: allow me to remain anonymous like this for the rest of my life._

 _I thought you wanted to reconcile with your Father?_

 _Well, but…_ Zelda trailed off, realizing that she had indeed said something to that effect.

 _What, was that a lie? I really do sympathize with those who must deal with you. You are going to push everyone away if you keep this up. Just drop the act, be honest with yourself, and embrace your destiny. You act like you do not want to be close to people, but I know that you are only trying to convince yourself of this; there used to be much more love and compassion in your heart. Your Master would agree with me._

… _. Master Impa…? She… oh Gods… I finally remember that day, when Ganondorf put this God-forsaken symbol on my face… I know that she truly feared me when she looked into my eyes. She could immediately sense that the mark was of dark magic, and it did not take her long to figure out that the evil magic was altering my memories as well. Despite how terrifying I had become… she still stood by my side. She still acted like the mother I had been so desperate to get back from the dead._

 _And yet… all I ever did was talk about the woman who was_ _ **told**_ _to adopt me. That woman did not choose me, did she? My Father chose her, rather. But Master Impa… she took me in when I had nothing. She devoted the last ten years of her life to me. And what have I done for her in return…?! Shit; I really am such a fool, such a pathetic fool._

 _Heh. I always recognized that the dead cannot come back to this world. Instead of focusing on what I had all of those years… all I ever did was wish for the impossible. Is there anybody out there more foolish than me?_

 _I can agree with you, I suppose, that my heart is not always in the right place. However, there are a few things that no one can dissuade me from. Getting my revenge is one of those things; remember that._ Zelda went quiet after leaving Hylia with that warning.

 _Color me surprised; tough love really does work with her. I had hoped that bringing up her teacher would elicit some kind of reaction from her, but I honestly did not expect_ _ **that**_ _reaction. So Zelda has not completely lost herself, yet. I will have to be satisfied with that for the time being. Freeing her from Demise's grasp will take time, after all. I can only hope that my efforts are not too late._

 _Wait a second… now that I am thinking about it… how did… how did I learn to use this sword anyway…?_ Kyoshiro, with a start, stared down at his sheathed weapon as he walked. He had instinctively drawn it so many times already, went after creatures that were much bigger than himself… but where and how did he learn to use it? The foster home did not permit fighting, of course, so he could not have trained with a weapon at that point in his life.

 _I… I had never even questioned it before… but when did I learn swordplay? I… did I teach myself? How? Wh-what in Din's name is going on?! Why can't I remember something like that?! I didn't just up and start fighting with this thing one day; that's just too ridiculous. There's something wrong with me! I'm just like Zelda: there are these inexplicable gaps in my memories!_ Kyoshiro could not control the look of panic spreading across his face.

 _You seem troubled about something._ A voice interrupted his thoughts. Kyoshiro reeled, not expecting the sudden interrupted.

 _Wh-wha-who-?_ He mentally stammered.

 _Boy, calm down. You are among friends and are safe. Is there anything I can help you with?_

 _Oh, for the love of Farore—you are the freaking wolf spirit from before. I forgot you were here._ Kyoshiro tersely thought, hoping that everyone else was too busy to notice his mini panic attack.

 _Your heart rate was rapidly rising, and I could see that you looked rather terrified. I grew concerned for you._

 _Uhh, well, uh… wait a second, this is ridiculous. I cannot be exchanging weird mind messages with a wolf. I'm sorry, this is just…_ Kyoshiro was starting to feel uncomfortable.

 _I thought your discomfort was due to something that you have been quietly contemplating, but perhaps I misread the situation. Is your discomfort actually due to my presence? Do you hate my kind?_

 _I, er, well… I guess I am not fond of them. I got fatally attacked by a Wolfos when I was nineteen years old. The only reason I survived is because someone was in the area and helped me out._

 _I am sorry to hear that. Demise has a way of corrupting even the creations of the Gods, so it is likely that the Wolfos was not itself. I know that my apology likely means nothing to you, but I do not wish harm on you or your friends._

 _Er, . It's fine. Where are you taking us?_

 _There is a town not far from this mountain. Past the town is a ravine; I believe that what you seek might be hidden within the ravine._

 _Okay, a ravine. Good to know._

 _By the way… I could not help but notice… you remind me of someone._

 _I remind you of someone? But you only hang out with wolves._ Kyoshiro threw the wolf an incredulous look.

 _While you may have a point, your face… it is so familiar to me. You know, I admit that this is strange and disconcerting but I think you look like—_

"I was wondering; what are we going to do when we approach town? Everyone is already suspicious of us, but now we have a wolf in tow. They will likely not react kindly to this." Zukto's voice suddenly interrupted the wolf.

 _I see your point. However, I can be as a spirit: no one will be able to see me. As long as you leave town in the direction of the ravine, I will reappear to you once we have put enough distance between ourselves and the town. Is this agreeable?_

"Ah, yes, that sounds fine."

Kyoshiro felt a bit disappointed that Zukto just had to open his mouth when he did. He was admittedly very curious about what the wolf was going to tell him.

 _Wait, didn't this happen before? Hm, why do I feel like… oh, wasn't it Zelda before? She was about to tell me… that I reminded her of someone. But that was back when she had lost a lot of her memories; was she simply trying to remember me back then, or was it something else entirely? She would probably just brush me off though if I asked about it. It's so strange though, no matter how you think of it. The wolf would not know anyone who we know, so why would it make the same observation that Zelda did?_

 _Sorry there, I had not expected that sudden outburst. I keep thinking about it, and perhaps I am simply mistaken. Sorry to spring that on you so suddenly._ The wolf projected another thought to Kyoshiro, but then fell silent.

 _Well, okay, maybe I am just overreacting. If you think about it, this wolf is probably thousands of years old. He's naturally seen his fair share of people through the centuries. I am bound to look like someone else, right?_

 _I mean, people can be different but not_ _ **that**_ _different. Sure, my ears aren't like the ears that a Charcaian would have, but besides that… that still does not explain why Zelda would bring it up. Why would I remind her of… wait… could she have been… thinking about my mother…?_ Kyoshiro felt a strange mixture of relief, pain, and nervousness.

 _I… never thought about it like that before. Does… does Zelda notice something about my features, in my face maybe, that remind me of our mother? Does she always feel a bit sad when she looks at me, having to be reminded of mother like that? Geez… I guess I really am clueless._

 _I still have not had a chance to ask her about my parents. It isn't something that I want the others around for though; it feels pretty personal still. And I don't know how Zelda will react when I ask._

 _Okay, we are nearing town. I will continue to head in the direction of our destination, but you will be unable to see me. Young man from Charcai: please escort everyone through town. We will meet up shortly._ With that, the wolf disappeared.

 _I wonder… where my parents have been this whole time. I really do miss them, and I have so many questions for them. All my life, I did not really believe in 'gods.' It was not until I lived among the Gerudo that I saw first-hand what it was like to live in a world where gods had a more active role in influencing the world around them. And yet, despite my upbringing, it appears that Charcai and Hyrule are more similar than I once thought._

 _Charcai's history is intimately connected to the gods; why did I grow up with the opposite impression? Ricando, for some reason, seemed very intent on locating my parents; do they know more about this situation? Will they be able to shed some light on what's been going on? I certainly hope they can help; at times, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by everything. I need all the help I can get right now._ Zukto thought to himself as he led everyone through town.

"Zukto, I believe I have figured something out about that strange forest we were in before." Hylia suddenly spoke to him in Charcaian, remembering that the people around them would not react well had she chosen to speak in Hylian instead.

"Oh?" He responded, surprised that Zelda was finally willing to engage her friends. He was also curious about how she was able to 'discover' something about the forest, seeing as she had never been to Charcai before and certainly had not had any time away from the group thus far to do any kind of exploration or research.

"That forest is plagued by a mysterious magic. I actually did not get the sense that the magic which caused the land to wither away was necessarily evil or dark. I think someone purposely destroyed the forest to hide something."

"To hide something? Hm. Well, I cannot really say one way or the other if that forest had anything in it worth hiding… but I was curious about it myself anyway. I certainly want to return at some point, but we have so many matters that require our attention here… I wonder when we might have the time to return."

"Indeed, we have our work cut out for us here. We did discover some useful information from that book, but the information we gleaned mostly only serves as historical context for our current situation. We still have much to discover about the people who we are fighting against. After all, there are quite a few of them whom we have yet to meet."

"My parents, I pray, will be able to help us. I just hope that they have been safe this entire time. I want to make finding them a priority, after we finish our current objective."

"I have no objections with that. You know… would not our newest companion, the wolf, be of some help in that regard?"

"I didn't think of that; you may be right. I would be ecstatic if it could lead us to them somehow."

"Feel free to ask. If you believe that your parents can assist us in making a stand against your brother, then I welcome their help."

"L-Listen, Zelda, about my brother—" Zukto began, hesitantly.

"Your brother is involved with the murder of my foster parents, had a hand in this curse being placed upon me, was the reason that I was separated from my parents at birth… must I remind you of these things? Your brother does not deserve mercy, as far as I am concerned." Hylia darkly pointed out, not giving Zukto time to say anything. Hylia had observed Zelda for long enough to know that this was a touchy subject for her, and responded accordingly. Zukto immediately fell silent.

 _Hm, you sounded exactly like me just now._ Zelda observed.

 _Have to keep the façade, after all. You made the observation yourself earlier that Zukto may ask you about somehow saving that man. It seems that your prediction was on the mark. We did not let him say anything, but he immediately shut up when I said what I did. That must mean that he was going to bring up that exact subject. Your intuition is quite a force to be reckoned with._ Hylia observed, smiling wryly.

 _It is absolutely true that I want to stop Kkladekk… though I wonder, is there a peaceful way yet of approaching this situation? Or are things really so far gone? To save Hyrule, is it paramount that we kill Kkladekk? I am not opposed to bloodshed if it will save my people; however, I am not without mercy when the situation calls for it. I suppose that only time will tell: will Zelda choose mercy, or malevolence?_ Hylia thought to herself, deciding that she did not want to continue any conversations with Zelda's partners for the time being.

 _Damn… Zelda just immediately shot me down. How did she even know what I was going to say anyway? I know… I know that you're hurting, Princess. Don't think that I have forgotten. How could I? And yet… to ask me to just throw my brother to the wolves… I can't do it. We have time still: I will figure out a way to save him. I swear to you, Kkladekk… Krandses will not be able to control you forever. Just hang in there._ Zukto sighed, feeling overwhelmed. There was still so much that they did not know; so much that could work against them. Despite his misgivings, Zukto knew that it was the right choice to try to help his brother. Surely when he met with his parents, they would agree with him.

 _And now, we are together again._ A familiar voice spoke into everyone's minds.

"We are counting on you to lead us through the ravine." Hylia remarked when the wolf's body materialized back into view before them. They had put some distance between themselves and the town, and no one seemed to be wandering around.

 _I already feel the presence of evil magic around us: we are quite close to something that should be connected to Krandses._ The wolf assured them.

"Everyone, be on your guard. We have no idea what's hiding out here." Zukto warned.

 _I can follow the trail of dark magic, but I cannot guarantee whether or not there is anything significant out here. And I have no knowledge of how it might be protected if there is indeed anything worthy of discovery. You may have to think creatively in order to gain access to what it is you seek._

"We'll be fine; right guys?" Link asked.

"Yeah, we just need to make sure to stick together." Zukto pointed out.

 _Hmmm… sorry Zukto, but I actually intend to do the exact opposite._ Hylia thought to herself. She just needed to figure out how to get separated from everyone…

The group continued following the path for a while, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Hylia was getting annoyed that thus far, the path down the ravine was completely straight-forward; there had been no alcoves to duck into, no caves to hide in.

 _I may have to cause a disturbance in order to make sure I can run off on my own, undetected. It is too bad that none of Kkladekk's goons have appeared to fight us; I would welcome such a distraction right now. But instead… hm…_ Hylia looked around. The only thing notable in the area was the walls of the ravine, towering high above them.

… _It appears that my only options may be a rock slide, or perhaps an earthquake of sorts. Sorry everyone, but I need to cause some chaos in order to get away. I cannot have you getting in my way._ Hylia quietly focused her magic, feeling around for sizable chunks of earth above them which could be disturbed.

"Everyone! To me!" Hylia suddenly commanded as she used her magic to start a rock slide. Everyone panicked slightly, not expecting Hylia's outburst. The group huddled around her as she erected a barrier to protect them, as always. This time, however, she waited until she knew that everyone was safe and all of the falling rocks and chunks of earth had kicked up a heavy cloud of dust and sand. Before the cloud settled, returning visibility, Hylia quietly ran off. To cover her tracks, literally, she set off more rocks to fall behind her.

"Damn, that's the second time today something like that happened." Link observed, coughing slightly as the dust began to settle.

"Everyone's alright, right?" Zukto asked, looking around. The dust had not settled all the way, so he slid his pair of goggles down over his eyes. With the goggles on, he could see clearly even with the dust cover. He thought he saw someone running off, which puzzled him. Was it the figure of whoever started the rock slide?

"Wait a second… Zelda… where the hell is Zelda?" Kyoshiro asked, noticing that they were now short one person.

"… Shit, really, we lost her?" Zukto sighed, feeling exasperated. Zelda really was nowhere to be seen.

 _She really could not have gone far. Thus far, this path has been quite straightforward. All we have to do is press on; we will be able to find her._ The wolf offered.

"Come! We have to catch up to her!" Zukto yelled, breaking into a jog. He was not entirely sure where he was going, but he would stop when he saw anything noteworthy. Everyone ran after him, hoping that nothing was waiting to ambush them.

 _Hmhm, that was too easy._ Hylia mused as she ran down a path that was partially hidden from the main thoroughfare they had been traveling on. The path seemed to take them straight into the ravine walls. There had to be something back here, she reasoned, as the paths seemed to have been deliberately carved and shaped.

 _Why did you want to be separated from them, anyway?_ Zelda asked.

 _Our plan will not work if we are with them, right? It was not just a matter of finding secrets that Kkladekk does not want us to know: I want to catch him unawares, and possibly cause some trouble in the process. We needed to be separated for that to happen._

 _I suppose. Now we actually need to figure out if there is some secret location here._

 _Hmm… over there. I see something._ Hylia stepped down the last stone step, and stopped before a strange alcove. There was a raised dais of some kind in the ground, adorned with a symbol, but it seemed worn down by foot traffic and covered in sand.

… _It is hard to make out some elements of this symbol, but still I cannot shake the feeling that it is familiar to me for some reason._ Zelda observed.

 _We better keep moving regardless: I want to make sure that none of your friends find us._ Hylia walked over the dais, wanting to check out what else was in the alcove. When she stepped in the middle of it, however, it suddenly shined with a red light!

 _Ah! We somehow activated it, maybe?_ Zelda wondered.

 _Yes! I can feel it; it will bring us deeper underground._ Hylia braced herself as the dais sunk into the earth. The dais finally stopped at a dimly-lit docking station. Hylia stepped off of the platform, and it immediately returned to the surface.

 _I guess we cannot leave that way; we will need to figure out another exit when we are finished with our business here._ Hylia noted, starting down the passageway connected to their current location.

 _Do you not think it odd that it was so easy to gain entry?_ Zelda asked.

 _I did expect to encounter more resistance, yes, but then again your powers are incredibly handy. If I hear someone approaching from around a corner, all we have to do is hide in the shadows until the coast is clear._ The passageway led them to a large hub of sorts; Hylia observed that many pathways branched out from it.

 _This place is a lot bigger than I imagined._

 _Be careful: I believe I hear footsteps coming this way._ Zelda warned. Hylia quickly melted into her own shadow, completely hidden from sight. It helped that the lighting was not that bright.

"Where is Ruellian...? I think that something or something has gained entry, but I have yet to hear or see anything out of the ordinary... we need to deal with this before Master Kkladekk finds out." Someone with a deep voice muttered as they walked by.

Hylia tried her best to study the person, but the person was wearing a shabby cloak over his torso which obscured any distinguishing features. His face was also covered, though Zelda observed something quickly as he passed.

 _That man has red eyes._ She was surprised.

 _So?_

 _Hylia, you should know exactly why that is intriguing. Red eyes make me think of the Sheikah._

 _Yes, but that man is working for Kkladekk. Do you really think a Sheikah, a Hyrule native, would be fighting against us?_

 _Why not? Anything is possible at this point._

 _I suppose we will need to keep an eye out for him, at any rate._ Hylia stepped out of her shadow and continued in the direction that the unknown male just came from.

"Ruellian, you did not come back with him like I asked." Kkladekk stated impatiently.

Ruellian looked momentarily ashamed, but she quickly defended herself.

"Master Kkladekk, the woman in their group is insanely powerful. We need to get her away from them-"

"Hm... that does give me an idea. I have to concede that you are correct about Zelda: she has incredible powers. We need to force her hand. I think the best way to do that would be to... ah, subjugate one of her friends."

"Which one?" Ruellian looked intrigued.

"I think it is time that Kyoshiro and I were finally reunited; it has been quite some time since we worked together. Ruellian... I must ask you to become the Warden." Kkladekk requested.

"Oh, him. I can do that. You want me to lure Kyoshiro somewhere?"

"Yes. I need you to bring him to me. Make sure that none of his friends see you leading Kyoshiro away." Kkladekk pulled a ring out of his pocket, and began to absentmindedly play with it.

"You will see Kyoshiro shortly; this I can promise you." Ruellian's body quickly changed into that of a middle-aged man.

"Kyo will be so surprised to see me." Ruellian chuckled as she walked off.

"Hey, I found something!" Zukto exclaimed as he followed closely behind the wolf spirit.

 _I can smell the woman, but her scent is quite faint. I do not believe she has come this way, but if I can smell her she must nevertheless be somewhere around here._ The wolf explained.

"So this is some kind of entrance or exit? I wonder why Zelda did not say anything to any of us before disappearing; we still have no idea where she is." Link furrowed his brow.

"She does this all the time. That's just how she is." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"Oh, what; not playing the part of the overprotective big brother now?" Zukto teased, raising an eyebrow at Kyoshiro.

"Shut it. You saw how easily she defended us from that strange, shape shifting thing. Do we really need to worry that much about her? It seems to me that she has everything under control." Kyoshiro muttered tersely.

"Something wrong?" Zukto furrowed his brow this time, looking confused in response to his friend's sudden dismissive and impatient attitude.

 _... Am I really needed here? No one really asks me for anything. It just seems like they're dragging me around for no reason._ Kyoshiro thought bitterly. He was not sure why he suddenly felt so impatient, but he could not help himself.

"Hey, um, how about we go after her? I for one worry about what kind of trouble our Princess might get into. She has been acting strange all day, after all." Link pointed out.

"I am with you. C'mon, Kyo. We need to find our friend." Zukto agreed.

"Fine."

Everyone took turns climbing down a narrow, stone passageway that looked like few people had used it in the last year. The pathway brought them to a dark, cool passageway.

"Now, which way did she go...?" Zukto muttered.

 _Follow me. I will show you in which direction her scent is strongest. I will not, however, lead you to her. I am happy to help you, but I do not want to get caught up in a fight against Krandses or any of his followers. Once we part ways, you may call on me again by playing this melody…_

The wolf howled a quiet tune once. Link pulled out his ocarina, and instinctively practiced the song along with the wolf without actually blowing into the instrument.

"I will remember your song. Thank you for your help, and for sharing your knowledge with us."

 _It was the least I could do since you helped my pack. But if you succeed in stopping Krandses, we will owe you a great deal more. As long as I do not get directly involved with him, I shall gladly lend you my powers should you have need of them. Until we meet again, young adventurers._ The wolf nodded in the direction he could smell the woman, so her friends would know how to find her. With that, he silently ran back in the direction they had come from.

"Okay, you guys ready? We have no idea who or what is waiting for us in here." Zukto warned.

"Our first priority is to ensure Zelda's safety. Then we need to see if we can discern any useful information about Krandses' plans or the people who work for him." Link continued. Zukto nodded.

"And we should stick together." Zukto added as he ascended the ladder they had stopped under. Kyoshiro was the last one to climb the ladder, and he did so with little energy or focus.

 _Something... feels familiar: I get the feeling that I have been here before... why the hell do I feel this way...? I suddenly feel agitated, and like... I am anticipating something. What is waiting for us here...?_ Kyoshiro remembered that Zukto and Link wanted to stick together, but he wanted to find the source of his déjà vu. They were of course waiting for him when he got to the top of the ladder, so he needed to figure out a way to get separated from his partners.

 _How does Zelda always manage to slip away from us so easily? Right now, I wish I had her penchant for disappearing._

 _Hey, look at that._ Zelda pointed out to Hylia as they quietly walked down a passageway. They had not encountered anyone else after they had initially run into the person with red eyes.

 _You mean that sconce? We have already passed by several._

 _Yes, but none of them were shaped like this. That is a crescent moon, the same shape as the marking on my face; I believe this area holds a secret. Try examining it._

 _I suppose it cannot hurt._ Hylia approached the sconce and held a hand up to it. Before she could even touch it, it glowed with a strange light.

 _I knew it! This should lead us to something important._

The wall to the right of the sconce slowly shifted, revealing another passageway.

 _I guess Ganondorf's 'gift' does have its uses._ Zelda thought grimly.

 _You believe the sconce reacts to the presence of Krandses' magic? Intriguing. I suppose that is a way to make sure people cannot freely enter this space. Let us proceed with caution._

Hylia descended even deeper underground, following the hidden passageway. The passageway finally opened up into a room that looked like someone's personal study.

 _Hm, there has to be useful information somewhere around here..._ Zelda thought, observing the room with Hylia.

 _How about we start with this map here?_ Hylia suggested as she approached a map on the wall. It did not take long for her to figure out that the map was of Hyrule!

 _Strange, why is this a map of Hyrule?_

 _I am not sure; however, I believe we ought to turn our attention to this circled area of the map. Is not this Hyrule Castle Town?_

 _Y-you are correct. So now, we need to figure out why Hyrule Castle Town might be important to them... Hyrule Castle is there, naturally, but is that really the only reason the town would be circled on a map? I get the feeling that there might be more to it than that._ Zelda guessed.

 _In any case, we need to figure out how to return to Hyrule before we can act on this information. Let us hope that our presence here in Charcai will keep Kkladekk and his followers distracted._

"Who's there?!" A gruff voice called out. Hylia jumped slightly, not realizing that anyone else was there with them.

 _Shit, I did not notice anyone else here; sorry._

 _It is fine. I do not think that the voice we heard is Kkladekk, so we may be able to deceive whoever has found us._

"No one can be down here unless Master Kkladekk allows them to be... is that not correct?" Hylia calmly answered.

"Hm... I admit that I have no idea how one might gain entry to this space, besides of course the way that I entered. I do not recognize you, though; identify yourself."

"Why, I am Ruellian of course." Hylia chuckled to herself.

"O-oh, Ruellian. Yes. So after you sent me away this morning, did you catch up with them? How was it?"

"Unfortunately, I hit a bit of a snag. The woman with them is incredibly powerful: I was no match for her. To make matters worse, our friend Ricando possesses magic that can dispel my illusions. I returned here to discuss a new strategy with Master Kkladekk. He has an idea, and I need your help."

"Oh? What is this idea?"

"We need to first make sure that Kkladekk's brother's group gets separated. They are much less of a threat when they are not together. Then we need to keep them busy. You and I should engage Zukto and the blonde swordsman."

"Understood. I follow your lead, Ruellian."

 _He believed every word I said! I am amazed that I pulled that off so easily!_

 _I am also frankly amazed at how well that went. This man must have a lot of respect for Ruellian. Hylia, you are surprisingly crafty._

 _I believe I learned a few things from you. I have not shared a body with such an obstinate and independent woman, such as yourself, for quite some time now._

 _To deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies. Unfortunately now we will have to fight our friends, but we only need to do so until we can catch this man off guard. It will be interesting to see how he fights: if I am right about his identity, this may give us the advantage._

The man finally approached Hylia, eyeing the cloaked figure critically.

"You know, your cloak looks an awful lot like..." He began suspiciously.

"Is not this disguise perfect? When they see me, they will think that I am _her_. They would not dare hurt me like this." Hylia chuckled.

"Hm, perhaps. Let us leave here, for Zukto has no chance of entering this space by his own power." The man made to leave the same way he entered; Hylia followed closely behind him.

 _We have a slight problem here: we have no idea what this man's name is. Hopefully that does not give us away later._ Zelda observed.

 _Let us hope that Zukto demands to know his name._ Hylia mused.

Kyoshiro watched as Link and Zukto turned a corner. They were in a hurry, but Kyoshiro did not feel the same amount of urgency that they did. He slowly followed them around the same corner... but suddenly found himself in what appeared to be a dead end.

 _They went this way, right? How could they have up and vanished so quickly? I was not that far behind them... did they figure out something about this place? But at any rate... I wanted to be separated from them; I should take advantage of this situation._ Kyoshiro turned around and went back the way he came, looking for anything of interest.

 _I keep thinking that I know this place, but I have never been to Charcai before. I did not even know it existed until Zukto told us where he was from. And yet, why is this place so familiar? These bleak walls, the weak lighting... heh, it is perfect for me. I am just as uninteresting as my surroundings: I am nobody._

Kyoshiro started to pay less and less attention to his surroundings. A door suddenly swung open, nearly hitting him; Kyoshiro's brain needed a moment to register the face of the person who appeared from beyond it.

"W-Warden?! It's... it's really you, isn't it? How in Din's name did you-" Kyoshiro began, looking stupefied.

"Kyoshiro, m'boy! So here you are. I been lookin' for ya all over. Y'know, you just up and left us so suddenly that we been worried 'bout you. No letters or visits or nothin'." The older man scolded Kyoshiro gently.

"H-hey, yeah, sorry about that. Just, a lot of stuff has happened and... but really, how in Din's name did you get here?"

"Get here? Whatever do you mean, m'boy?"

"Er, well, how do I say this..."

"We are in the basement of the BH, remember? You didn't go and get yourself knocked around, did ya? You're my best fighter. I can't afford to have you out of commission."

"Wait, what? You just said we're... back in the BH?"

"Of course. I can't just leave here like you can: I got too much work to do. Speaking of work, you and I have some work to do m'boy."

"Does it have to be taken care of right this minute? I got some stuff I gotta do..."

"So you come back to the BH but not because you're ready to apologize and work with me again?" The man looked disappointed.

"You don't get it! I wasn't here a moment ago; I was somewhere quite far from here. Me being here is a mistake."

"... Why go back to be with people who don't even like you?" The older man muttered darkly. Kyoshiro stopped for a moment, trying to make sure that he understood his old boss correctly.

"You don't know a thing about them."

"And they don't care to know about you either."

"That's... one of them is my sister: she cares about me." Kyoshiro furrowed his brow. Why was the warden trying to make him angry? And how did he even know that he had been traveling with people?

"Why have you been wandering around on your own, then? Shouldn't your friends be with you?"

"This place is confusing; we just got lost."

"Wouldn't you rather come back and work with me? Remember all the good times we had? Remember how many times a week someone would come to the front desk to ask about you? Remember how everyone welcomed you as a member of the family?"

"Family..."

The warden approached Kyoshiro, who looked confused.

"... You were the one who saved me, right Warden?"

"Of course. I was hunting in the woods when I heard some Wolfos get really aggressive. I found a young man bleeding on the ground, barely alive. Good thing I found you when I did, or else you wouldn't have made it."

 _... I wanted to die that day. I felt so hopeless, so unwanted. And really... I still feel that way, don't I?_ Kyoshiro cast his gaze towards the ground, not saying anything.

"M'boy, you forgot the most important thing."

"... Most important thing?"

"Yes. Come with me." The warden started to walk down the hallway, towards the dead end that Kyoshiro had found earlier. Kyoshiro was confused, but he did not know what else to do. In the end, he decided to follow the older man. When they turned the corner and found what would have been a dead end, Kyoshiro noticed that a door was waiting for them.

 _I do not recall that door being there. This is so odd. Are we really in the BH? How did we get back here?_ Kyoshiro watched as the older man walked through the door. When Kyoshiro followed him, a strange feeling put him on high alert.

"You can't catch me off guard that easy!" Kyoshiro declared as he effortlessly drew his weapon and turned to face whoever had been hiding in the shadows to surprise him. Kyoshiro's large blade clashed against something steel.

"Hah, so my instinct was right after all." Kyoshiro smirked, making eye contact with his would-be attacker. The man stepped closer to Kyoshiro, revealing himself.

"Now isn't this strange. What would the so-called Demon King Ganondorf be doing in a place like this?" Kyoshiro asked, raising an eyebrow as the two of them kept their blades locked. Neither of them conceded an inch. Though Kyoshiro was quite tall, standing at 195 cm, Ganondorf towered above him at 230 cm.

"So-called? Watch your mouth, boy. The only reason I have not paid back the injury you gave me in the desert is because our mutual friend very much wants you in one piece. Consider yourself lucky, you welp." With that, Ganondorf stood down. His eyes glared down at the Hylian.

"Mutual friend...?" Kyoshiro muttered, looking around the room. The warden was nowhere to be seen. As Kyoshiro was trying to figure out what exactly was going on, a shadow extended across the room. Before Kyoshiro realized what was going on, his entire body was restrained by something.

"Augh, what the hell...?" As Kyoshiro looked up, he was face-to-face with Princess Zelda!

"P-Princess? Wh-what in Din's name are you doing?" Kyoshiro could not hide the confusion on his face. Why was she not trying to rip Ganondorf limb from limb?

"I'm sorry, dear... but I only assumed this form to catch you off guard. I am not your precious Princess." The person who looked like Zelda smirked.

"Plus, her powers are just so handy."

"Just get it over with already." Ganondorf growled.

Kyoshiro could hear the sound of a book opening and pages turning. Suddenly, his eyes grew heavy.

"Besides the fact that he was able to so easily counter your so-called surprise attack, things are proceeding smoothly." A voice remarked. Though Kyoshiro's consciousness was fading away, he could recognize the voice of the person he could not see.

"D-damn... you... Kkla...dekk..." Kyoshiro muttered as Kkladekk's magic overcame him, putting him to sleep.

"Oh dear, he recognized my voice. I guess he does pay attention after all." Kkladekk chuckled.

"Why were you so adamant about this one?" Ganondorf asked gruffly.

"Twice already I have engaged Zukto and his friends. Once with your help, and once on my own. In both cases, only one person was able to inflict wounds on you or me. You mentioned before the wound Kyoshiro inflicted on you... I must admit that Kyoshiro's incredible skills with a blade are my handiwork. That is why he was able to catch both of us off guard."

"Your handiwork? Ah, right, I forgot that the welp has been working for you this whole time. I enjoy stuff like sabotage and betrayal." Ganondorf chuckled, an approving smile on his face.

"Kyoshiro was actually my newest, and last, recruit. I saved him from the brink of death, and got him to agree to work with me. Of course, he never knew who I actually was thanks to..." Kkladekk pulled a ring out of his pocket and approached Kyoshiro. He carefully removed the ring Kyoshiro received from Ricando, and replaced it with the new ring.

"The only reason Kyoshiro ended up with Zukto was because of an accident: that day, when Kyoshiro and Zukto met, Kyoshiro had left his ring in his room. Over time, he seems to have been able to overcome the effects of my magic.

But no matter: everything has been corrected now. Let us be off. Ruellian, let us find Shaikh Ethe. Ganondorf, we will be in touch shortly." Ruellian let go of Kyoshiro, knowing that Kkladekk wanted to bring Kyoshiro with them. He snapped when the swordsman was free of his restraints, which seemed to draw Kyoshiro from his slumber.

"Master?" Kyoshiro asked. His once steely blue eyes seemed to be clouded. Ruellian quickly left the room, intent on finding Shaikh Ethe.

"How are you, Kyoshiro? Feeling alright?"

"I am fine. Why do you ask? Did I get into a tight spot again?"

"Hm, yes, one might say that. But everything is alright now. Do you mind coming along with me? I have some important work for you that we need to discuss."

"Of course, Master. Anything for you." Kyoshiro and Kkladekk disappeared with a flourish of magic, leaving Ganondorf on his own.

"Hah, that fool. I can see it clearly: the Gods want Kyoshiro on their side. That is why he met Zukto. Trying to rely on that boy will certainly cause Kkladekk problems later... which will make things easier on me. I welcome this new development. After all, I must sacrifice Kkladekk in order to achieve my ultimate goal." Ganondorf's sinister laugh echoed in the room.

"Hm, now what do we have here?" Hylia remarked as she and Shaikh Ethe crossed paths with Zukto and Link.

 _Wait a moment, that cloak... is that Princess Zelda? Who is that with her?_ Zukto wondered. The tall, broad-shouldered figure standing behind Zelda was not immediately recognizable; it did not help matters that the person was wearing a tattered cloak and his face appeared to be covered with bandages.

"Zukto, brother of Kkladekk. So we meet at last." The bandaged male spoke.

"And you are?" Zukto asked, wondering why the man was hiding his face. Zukto could not help but think about Zelda when he stared at this mysterious person. Was she able to fool this person into thinking that she was one of them? Should he try not to say anything that could blow her cover in case she was trying to stall for time?

"I am Shaikh Ethe. I apologize, but Master Kkladekk will not tolerate your meddling. The more we can distract you, the better." Zukto noted the man's use of the word 'we.' So it must be true then, Zukto surmised, that Zelda was trying to trick him.

"If you want to fight us, we are more than willing to do so. Right, Link?"

"I shall fight by your side until the end." Link nodded. As soon as Link drew his blade, Shaikh Ethe's cloaked companion quickly extended her shadow and restrained Zukto. Zukto found himself thinking back to the first time he had been on the receiving end of Zelda's powers; though the experience had been nerve wracking in its own right, he was surprised to notice that she felt much stronger this time than before.

"I got you!" Link declared, remembering that had been able to sever the connection between Zelda and Zukto previously. Though he was unsure of who their opponent was this time, he was confident that he would be able to separate them just the same.

Hylia was anticipating Link's interference. Just as Link was about to cut through her shadow, she quickly withdrew it and then extended it towards Link! Link was immobilized when her shadow grabbed him, sword pointed at the ground.

"How about you let me have that?" Hylia asked smugly, her shadow reaching up to take Link's sword. He could offer no resistance in his state.

"Nice job, Ruellian. Can you restrain both of them at the same time?" The man asked. Zukto looked suspiciously at the cloaked woman, wondering if it really was Ruellian or Zelda pretending to be her. After all, when someone named Ruellian approached them earlier, Zelda had been able to single-handedly defend everyone from her. How then could Ruellian have gotten so adept at using Zelda's magic in such a short amount of time?

"You are leaving all of the fun to me? Very well." Hylia smirked, appreciating the fact that the man trusted her so much. Her shadow quickly grabbed onto Zukto's, and he could once again feel her power as she rendered him immobile. It was one thing to restrain one of them, but Zukto was impressed that she had the magic power and concentration necessary to restrain both of them.

"What now? They may be immobile, but if I let go of them they can just fight back." Hylia observed, wondering what Shaikh Ethe's end game was.

"Drop the act; you are not Ruellian. I can sense power way beyond what any typical mortal would possess." The man observed.

"Ahah, you think you figured out my secret?" Hylia mused, smirking.

"Let's figure out who is hiding beneath that cloak!" The man disappeared in a flash, taking Hylia by surprise.

 _Careful! His movements remind me a lot of Master Impa!_

 _Still thinking that we are fighting a Sheikah?_

 _Yes. Your senses are stronger than mine, so you should be able to detect his movements faster if you concentrate. He will likely come from the shadows to land a decisive blow before you can react. Sheikah are taught to fight their opponents without revealing themselves._

 _I think we can use his momentum against him._ Hylia stood still, steadying her breath and focusing her hearing. Just as she heard what she thought was a footstep, she quickly let go of Zukto and Link's shadows and dissolved into her own. Just as she was disappearing, the man lunged at her from the darkness.

"Damn, she was able to detect my approach. You over there: do not move. This is between me and the woman." He warned. Zukto tightened his fist slightly, but did not want to make the situation even more complicated. It helped that the woman who had yet to identify herself seemed to be quite capable.

As the man spoke to Zukto and Link, Hylia reappeared behind him. In a flash, she ran Link's sword through his back! He coughed up a lot of blood, but just as quickly as Hylia had appeared he managed to slip a small dagger into his right hand and slash it towards her face without even looking back at her.

"Hmhm... I am impressed by your speed. However, the injury I inflicted on you is way more of a concern than the scratch you just gave me." Hylia mused. She absentmindedly reached a hand to her cheek to brush the blood off her face, which disturbed a lock of her hair. Zukto noticed her bright-colored hair immediately.

"Oh my, did I just give away my secret?" Hylia grinned, noticing that Zukto was staring at her with a look of confusion on his face.

"Wh-who are you?" The man coughed, sword still lodged in his back.

"My, you are still conscious? Perhaps I did not run you through enough." Hylia declared darkly.

Suddenly, Hylia could detect a high amount of magical power closing in on them.

"Stay behind me!" She ordered as she stood in front of Link and Zukto. As an afterthought, she quickly extended her shadow and retrieved Link's sword from out of the man's back.

"This was quite useful. My apologies for deceiving you before." She stated simply.

"What in Farore's name is going on here?" Link asked. Just as Link posed his question, Kkladekk appeared in the room with a small group of people in tow.

"I knew you were coming. Could not stand the thought of being left out, could you?" Hylia taunted him.

"Shaikh Ethe! Shit! Master, we have to help him!" Ruellian immediately got on her knees, trying to ascertain how serious her partner's wounds were.

"Dammit; it appears that my business took too long. I never suspected that I would arrive only to find one of my most reliable men in such condition. Ruellian, retreat with Shaikh Ethe and start treating his wounds; I will join you shortly."

"Yes, Master." Ruellian quickly disappeared with the injured man.

"That looked serious. Do you always play that dirty, my Princess?" Kkladekk asked, looking unamused.

"Princess? I am sorry... you got it all wrong." Hylia mused.

"Don't be cute with me; we have a score to settle. And I think I know the perfect way to do it." Kkladekk's face softened a bit as a man stepped out from behind him. Hylia, Zukto, and Link could hardly believe their eyes: it was Kyoshiro!

"Kyo? What the heck are you doing with Kkladekk?" Zukto asked.

"That's Master Kkladekk. And my name is not 'Kyo.' That's a cutesy name for little boys; in case you hadn't noticed, I am a man. If you underestimate me, you will pay the price."

 _This is a tough situation. Kyoshiro's mind is being manipulated somehow._ Wrath observed.

 _Ah, Wrath. Yes, I suspected as much. No matter what though, we have to avoid excessively wounding him._ Hylia directed her thoughts towards Wrath.

"You complain that I play dirty? What about you?" Hylia retorted, feeling nervous about Kyoshiro's role in their current predicament.

"You were the ones who started it. After all, you took Kyoshiro from me." Kkladekk pointed out.

"'Took him from you?' Zukto met with him, and I believe he agreed to follow Zukto of his own accord."

"Yes, unfortunately for me we had a bit of a... well, a bit of a problem anyway. But that is sensitive information that would not serve me well were it to get out." Kkladekk chuckled a bit.

"For the sake of clarification, Kyoshiro was working for you? For how long?" Hylia asked, trying to stall for time.

"Hmhmhm, how about I leave that up to your imagination? Now, Kyoshiro, your job is to keep these people busy. But you are not to kill the woman." With that, Kkladekk disappeared.

"You guys are our enemies. I will show you no mercy." Kyoshiro declared as he drew his weapon.

"Please, Kyoshiro, you are our friend. We do not need to fight. We should be fighting against Kkladekk." Hylia calmly spoke.

"Friends? Us? Please. I do not make friends with pathetic weaklings."

"Excuse me?" Hylia's eyes narrowed.

"You are the woman Master told me about. I have no idea what he sees in you. After all, women are inferior to men in battle and industry. Who has to build houses? Who has to kill game to put food on the table? Who has to defend our cities? Men. Our strength and valor on the battlefield cannot be matched by a mere woman."

"... Strength alone is not sufficient." Was all Hylia said, as she was trying not to take Kyoshiro's words to heart.

"To prove my point, how about all three of you fight me? I am not concerned about being outnumbered; I have been in other battles with odds worse than this."

"Someone needs to knock some sense into you! We accept!" Hylia declared as she quickly extended her shadow towards Kyoshiro. She grabbed onto his, intending to force him to drop his sword. She was surprised, however, at the amount of resistance she encountered.

"Hmm... trying to manipulate me, are we? I don't think so!" Kyoshiro firmly grounded himself and swung his upper torso away from Hylia, as if he was trying to pull her towards him. Hylia was caught off guard, and was unable to ground herself in time. Using her own magic against her, Kyoshiro was able to throw Hylia across the room.

She hit the ground a ways from him, her hood falling off in the process. Zukto and Link stared in disbelief: Zelda's hair really was blonde now! Even more surprising was the fact that her eyes were now a crystal blue color. Hylia glared at Kyoshiro as she quickly got back up on her feet.

"Hm. That is an intriguing look in your eyes. You are not just going to give up, are you? I can appreciate that. If you have other tricks up your sleeve, feel free to show them to me. The last thing I want is to be bored."

"Your concern about being bored really should be the least of your worries." Hylia darkly muttered as the Triforce of Wisdom on the back of her right hand lit up. At the same time, however, the Triforce of Power suddenly appeared on her left!

 _... Shit! Demise's influence is growing this much?!_

A blinding flash of light obscured the room for a moment. When it cleared, Kyoshiro was caught in a web of golden chains. He tried to struggle against them, but they appeared unfazed by his efforts.

"What in Din's name is this?!"

Hylia stared at Kyoshiro, slightly aghast about what had happened.

"Princess, are you okay? What the heck is going on?" Zukto asked as he rushed up to her.

"... We need to talk, but not here; we cannot have _this one_ overhearing us. Come. I know: you do not want to leave your friend behind. Neither do I, but we cannot do anything for him right now. Those chains will stall him, giving us enough time to get away." Hylia hurried out of the room, Link and Zukto in tow.

"... Master called her Princess, and that other guy used the title as well. So I see now why Master is interested in her: her status will likely come in handy. But I am interested in her for a different reason. When that light filled the room... I felt a terrifying amount of power resonate from within her. I want to see that power for myself. I have not been this excited about someone else for a while now." Kyoshiro mused, despite still being stuck in the trap Hylia left for him.

"Okay, so we must be out of earshot of him by now. Mind explaining yourself, Zelda? Oh, right... force of habit. I have a feeling that I know who you actually are. You must be Hylia." Zukto began.

"Yes, Zukto, I am Hylia. I have been controlling Zelda's body the entire day. She and I wanted to throw Kkladekk off, because we have reason to believe that he does not know about me. But funnily enough, Kkladekk never saw my face today.

So that is why my hair and eyes are different, and of course that is why 'Zelda' had been performing magic beyond her abilities ever since this morning. It is clear to me that she must train even more, as her power alone is completely insufficient to stand against Kkladekk and his machinations. Even I have difficulty against some of his subordinates, which is saying something."

"So Zelda can call upon you at any time now?" Link asked.

"Yes and no. She and I can openly communicate now, and I can switch places with her in a pinch. There is a slight problem, however. My magical power is much greater than she is accustomed to, so when I give Zelda control of her body again she will be quite fatigued; I ended up getting involved in a lot more today than I originally anticipated."

"The best thing we can do right now, then, is find a safe place to rest." Link reasoned.

"Yes, that would be the wisest course of action. Come. We must put distance between ourselves and this place... but as for where we can actually go, I am unsure." Hylia began walking again, though she did not appear to be in a hurry. She knew that the path she took to reach this place was now a dead end, so she hoped that the path everyone else took would be accessible.

"Today was quite the day. We met two more of Kkladekk's team, if you don't count Kyoshiro: Ruellian, and Shaikh Ethe. How many have we met so far, anyway?" Link asked.

"Perhaps those two are the only two we have met, besides Kyoshiro. Ganondorf does appear to be working with them, but I know him well enough to know that he is merely using Kkladekk. Ganondorf cannot actually be considered their ally." Hylia pointed out.

"Don't forget Krandses: he is controlling my brother, after all." Zukto added.

"We must figure out how to free Kyoshiro from their control. What the hell did they do to him?" Link sighed.

"That bothers me as well. Has Kyoshiro really been working with Kkladekk this entire time? I had not gotten that impression." Hylia frowned slightly.

"None of us did. It was a shock to me to see Kkladekk suddenly following my brother's orders like that." Zukto ran a hand mindlessly through his hair, looking exasperated.

"It is obvious to me that they are somehow controlling him. But it is a rather sophisticated magic that they are using, to also be able to suppress his memor—" Hylia began, but stopped herself as she realized with a start that what she was saying sounded exactly like the situation that Princess Zelda was struggling with.

"Oh merciful Gods, preserve us. The spell put on Zelda allows someone to control her, and also suppress her memories. If the same thing is happening to Kyoshiro, then it may be the case that he has been subject to the exact same spell." She looked pensive.

"But we did not see a mark on his face. Right, everyone? No one saw anything like that?" Link questioned.

"Now that you mention it, I did not see anything obviously different about him. His face seemed to be the same as always." Zukto looked thoughtful.

"Is it really the case then that Kyoshiro is being controlled? Might it be that he actually _has_ been working with Kkladekk all along, and that he merely strung us along?" Link asked, looking somber.

"Wrath spoke to me, and he is quite certain that Kkladekk is exerting some kind of influence over Kyoshiro. I trust Wrath's perception." Hylia explained.

"Okay, so if Kyoshiro really is being controlled… then are the other people working for Kkladek also being controlled? Or is Kyoshiro the only one?" Link wondered out loud.

"That is certainly a question we need to consider. If Kyoshiro is the only one being controlled, then why? What is so different about him?" Hylia continued.

"Kyoshiro would not go after us like that, right? Not of his own will. My brother must realize this, which is why he has to go out of his way to suppress Kyo's memories of us. Kyoshiro will only fight against us if he has forgotten about us. I feel like we all considered one another friends, so…" Zukto muttered the last part.

"I suppose that you might have a point. At any rate… we are in quite the predicament. We have lost one of our allies, we cannot return to Hyrule, and we do not really have a safe place to stay. If we simply return to the village, it would be quite simple for Kkladekk to send someone after us. We need to get Kyoshiro back, but we have no idea how to do that at present. There has to be someone who would help us."

"With how things are proceeding, it is absolutely imperative that we find Zukto's parents!" Ricando declared, speaking in Charcaian.

"I am quite eager to find them, sir, but where do we even start? I barely know my way around this part of Charcai as it is." Zukto sighed, responding to the older man in Charcaian.

 _I guess he still wants to keep secrets from everyone. No matter._ Hylia thought, somewhat amused.

"We must make haste to the Forest of the Ancients. You remember that forest, correct?"

"Yeah, sure I do. It isn't too far away from town… but we have already traveled so much today. We need to find a place to rest."

"We do not have that luxury right now. We need to return to the Forest as soon as possible."

"Everyone got that, right? I don't really know what's there, but apparently we need to hurry back to the forest we were wandering around in after arriving here." Zukto explained.

"I shall protect everyone to the best of my ability." Hylia nodded.

"Your protection and guidance is invaluable, Hylia." Link smiled, grateful that she was traveling with them.

"Hm… I ought to remind you, however, that I am not some replacement for Zelda. I may be more powerful than her, at least for now, but that woman has the power to significantly impact the course of your journey. Never forget that." She warned as they finally escaped from the underground lair. It was nearly nightfall, she noted.

"What is so significant about that forest, Ricando?" Zukto asked, speaking in Charcaian.

"Hylia observed that there is a powerful magic blanketing the area. I have a suspicion about what the source of the magic is, but you must take me there before I can be sure about its origins."

"Would the magic… be connected to my parents somehow?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not."

"About that, though. You sound as though you have already tried to find my parents before we even came here. If there was something really so important hiding in the forest, wouldn't you have found it after all of this time?"

"Not necessarily, my boy. There is a place in the forest that people have not been able to explore. No ordinary magic could get in my way; there is an incredibly powerful seal that I believe we should investigate."

 _A seal, hm? Not that I would be able to do much about such a thing, but I guess checking it out won't really hurt… but this is going to be one long night._ Zukto furrowed his brow slightly, worrying about how his friends would hold up throughout the night. There was no guarantee that their journey to the forest would lead to anything, and there was still the matter of where might be safe enough for them to rest for the night.

The journey back to town was quiet. Most of the townspeople had already retreated to their homes for the evening, so the group did not encounter any trouble. Hylia, however, could sense that someone was waiting for them in the direction of the forest.

 _Oh merciful Gods, please protect us._ _ **He**_ _is waiting for us; I can sense his presence._

"Everyone, if I could get your attention. I feel that it is only fair that I inform you of the fact that Ganondorf is waiting for us somewhere near the edge of the forest." Hylia announced calmly.

"Dammit, really? Why is he even out here?" Zukto replied tersely.

"We may have no choice but to fight. I will do my best to keep his attention on me, though."

"Do you still have the energy to fight?" Link asked.

"Yes, thanks to the Triforce of Wisdom. I would not worry about me, honestly; keep your wits about you."

Hylia felt steadily more nervous as they got closer and closer to Ganondorf. Her lifelong nemesis, Demise, had been reincarnated as Ganondorf; he certainly would not show any mercy to her, knowing who she was. No matter what kind of danger she was approaching, however, it was her duty to protect her people from his evil.

Visibility was much lower now, as the sun had completely set before they even got back to town. They could not see too far ahead of themselves, but Hylia knew that they were quite close to where Ganondorf was waiting for them. Suddenly a deep, masculine voice disrupted the peace of the valley.

"My, my, Hylia, it has been quite some time since we last crossed paths."

"Ganondorf…" Hylia gritted her teeth, trying to prepare herself for what was to come.

"That was a great trap you set for the boy: ingenious, really. Too bad for you that I was around to set him free, hm?" He chuckled ominously.

"My intention was not to imprison him for the rest of his life. We needed to escape, so I did what I had to in order to ensure we could get away."

"You may have escaped last time, but you will be unable to escape this time my dear Hylia. Do we not have unfinished business, you and I?"

"Ganondorf, if you want a fight then I suggest that you stop prattling on. I am about to run out of patience." Hylia stopped several feet away from the Gerudo man, watching him carefully.

"You know what I am after, and yet you still so boldly approach me? I suppose you never learn your lesson, do you?"

"Big talk coming from the guy who has consistently failed to defeat my two champions." Hylia taunted, a golden glyph appearing underneath of her. Large arrows materialized around her and began to fly straight towards Ganondorf. The arrows were bathed in a mystical light.

"Isn't it odd how you can never defeat me yourself? You always must rely on mortals to do your dirty work for you. Did you forget that?" Ganondorf grinned widely as he summoned many demons around him. Some of the demons dashed forward in order to take the blows from the arrows. Each time an arrow hit one of the demons, an explosion of bright light lit up the area.

"As much as I enjoy fighting with you, there is actually something else that I came for. You are in my way!" Ganondorf clenched his right fist, and the Triforce of Power began to glow with a brilliant light.

 _Shit! I need to draw him away from everyone else!_ Hylia began to run off, hoping that Ganondorf would follow; he did.

"Hylia! Not that way!" Ricando yelled in Hylian, too panicked to remember that no one else knew that he could speak their language. He knew the area well, and was worried because she was running in the direction of a river with a fast current.

"What in Farore's name?! Ricando speaks Hylian?!" Link looked over to Zukto, who seemed equally bemused.

"You can run, but you cannot hide from me!" Ganondorf declared as he closed in on Hylia. Hylia looked over her shoulder as she ran and fired a few beams of her light magic at the Gerudo man. One attack hit its mark, but it only slightly staggered her target.

"Hmmm, you must be getting tired. This is not the true strength of Hylia; why hold back against me? Don't you want me dead?" He taunted, laughing.

 _It must be because I have used up so much magic power in the course of this one day, but I cannot tell him that._

Hylia quickly stretched out her shadow in an attempt to restrict Ganondorf's movements. At first, it seemed like he was unable to resist his restraints.

"You, you underestimate me you foolish girl; I thought you knew better." Again, his Triforce began to glow. A glyph appeared underneath Hylia, and before she had time to react she could feel Ganondorf's dark magic coursing through her body.

"Aauuggh!" She cried out, unable to defend herself. At first his magic merely hurt, but as he continued to use it Hylia noticed that her consciousness was slipping.

"Zel-Zelda, I… I am… sorry… I cannot…" She muttered, before her vision blacked out. In a flash, Hylia's hair reverted back to Zelda's color. Zelda weakly opened her eyes, only to lock eyes with Ganondorf.

"G-Ganondorf… you suppressed her power." Zelda's breathing was labored.

"An excellent observation, my dear. Hylia was in my way; you are the one who I wanted to see."

"If you think… if you think that I will go anywhere with you… you have another thing coming." Zelda took a step backwards.

"You still defy me, even in your condition? You can barely stand up straight, Princess. You are not in a position to fight me."

"Nobody said… anything… about fighting you." Zelda pointed out, looking oddly defiant.

"What are you…?" Ganondorf's eyes narrowed at her.

 _This is my only chance to get away._ Zelda took a deep breath, turned her back to Ganondorf, and quickly dove off the cliff they were standing on.

"Ugh, seriously?!" Ganondorf swore under his breath, and hurried to the edge of the cliff to see if he could find her.

"Shit! Zelda! Zelda!" Zukto yelled out, a dread filling his chest.

"We have to get him away from there! What if he goes after her? She cannot defend herself!" Link quickly drew an arrow and fired it at Ganondorf. Ganondorf easily avoided the projectile and threw an unamused scowl at Link.

"Boy, do you really think that testing me right now is wise?" He threatened.

"Might I remind you that I do not possess Wisdom? My forte is being brave enough to do the things that other people are too afraid to try." Link smirked.

"I do not have time for your wisecracks, boy. With only the two of you, there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. You've lost the swordsman who injured me back in the Desert, and you lost the Princess. You may have the Triforce of Courage, boy, but you do not understand how to use it. I, on the other hand, know exactly how to use mine…" The Triforce of Power lit up on his hand again.

"Quick, Zukto and Link, find Zelda! She needs you!" Nari exclaimed as she suddenly jumped out from Zukto's shadow and stood confidently between them and Ganondorf.

"Hahahaha! What is this? You have no hope of defeating me, so you send a little girl at me? I hope you realize that I show no mercy against even children!" Ganondorf's hands glowed with dark magic, and he fired a beam of concentrated magic towards Nari.

"Ganondorf! I am surprised that you seem to have forgotten about me!" Nari indignantly pouted as she disappeared. The magic that Ganondorf launched at her dispersed against the ground where she had been standing moments before.

"Zukto, listen! Go find the Princess! I will not repeat myself again!" Nari scolded as she reappeared behind Ganondorf. Her hands glowed briefly before chains shot out of nowhere straight towards Ganondorf. The chains snaked around his legs and arms, binding him in place.

"What the hell is this?!" Ganondorf's Triforce of Power glowed again as he tried to break free of his restraints.

"L-Link, we need to get going. Come! Down to the river!" Zukto looked back at Nari briefly before he ran off. He felt bad leaving her alone with Ganondorf, but it seemed clear that she did not fear fighting the Gerudo man.

"You are getting in our way! Back to Hyrule with you!" Nari snapped her fingers, and Ganondorf suddenly disappeared!

"Zelda! Zelda! If you can hear us…!" Zukto shouted as he and Link ran along the bank of the river.

"It's no use. Who knows how far along the river already took her…" Link sighed.

"We have to keep moving! With any luck, she was able to navigate herself to the shore. Wrath was with her, after all; he would have certainly helped her back onto land."

"Point taken. We always help each other when things get rough, and we aren't about to leave Zelda out there on her own."

"That's the spirit." Zukto smiled slightly.

 _Gods, please keep her safe…!_

 _Charcai, is your spirit guiding the girl? By your grace, she will be safe and Zukto will finally understand why his role in your struggle is so vital._ Ricando thought as he chased after Link and Zukto. He already knew that Zelda was going to be fine, so he did not even bother to scan the river for her.


	22. Those Who are Precious

"Ugghh... we made it, right...?" Zelda groaned as she collapsed onto the bank of the river she finally escaped from. At the time she had not really paid attention to it because adrenaline had been coursing through her body, but now that her energy was quickly leaving her the Princess realized just how cold the water had been.

"Shit, I am fre-freezing. I have to get out of these damn clothes... if I can find anywhere safe to stay." Zelda knew she had to get moving, but her entire body felt like lead; she struggled to even get up onto her knees.

"That current was rough... the only reason I made it out in one piece is thanks to you." Zelda spoke to the area at large, hoping that Wrath would show himself. He did.

"Master would not be very pleased with me if I did not protect you while you are in such a state." He explained.

"I may need your help awhile yet. I do not know if I can walk very far unassisted."

"That was a rather bold move you made, jumping into the river."

"Ah, y-yeah. I figured that if I had allowed myself to be captured by Ganondorf, I would have a much harder time escaping from him. And everyone would have had a rough time of it were they to go looking for me. The river seemed like my best bet."

"They still might encounter hardship to find you. The current carried you quite a ways, and neither you nor I know where we are."

"Yes, where indeed are we... guess wondering about it will not accomplish much. Help me up? All we can do is walk around until we notice something."

Wrath helped Zelda to stand, and the two slowly walked away from the river.

"I have no idea what it might be, but I can sense an incredible power not too far from where we are. Shall we head in that direction? There is a possibility that this power is connected to our enemy... but we cannot know that until we get closer. Shall we investigate?" Wrath asked.

"Yes, let us get a bit closer. You can hide me from sight with your powers if we figure out that it is not safe."

Wrath guided the two of them straight into the forest. At first, things were quiet.

 _I think I can hear something, and it is coming towards us._ Wrath projected this thought to Zelda. She nodded, to let him know that she acknowledged his concern, and looked around to see if there were any good hiding spots. Wrath quickly maneuvered Zelda over to a tree, so she could lean against it, and then used his powers to hide her from sight. Using the darkness as a cover, Wrath slowly crept in the direction of whatever was heading in their direction.

"I cannot see you, but I know you are out there. You cannot deceive me." A gruff voice called out in Charcaian. Wrath raised an eyebrow at this sudden announcement. He remembered with a start that they were on Charcai, so naturally that was the language everyone spoke.

 _Wrath, repeat what I say to the man. He is speaking loudly enough, so I can hear him._

"I have not come to this forest to cause you harm." Wrath repeated after Zelda, trying to gauge how much of a threat this mysterious person was. It was strange for him to speak in a language he did not understand, but he seemed to have mimicked Zelda's pronunciation accurately enough; the man seemed to understand him.

"What have you come for?" The voice demanded.

"My companion and I need shelter."

"What kind of a fool do you take me for? You came to the Forest of the Ancients in search of shelter?!"

"Please let me explain: my friend and I were attacked further up river. She fell into the river, and I dove in after her."

"Attacked up river you say? Is your friend the one next to the tree?" The voice sounded slightly less hostile now.

 _H-how does he...?!_

"Y-yes, that is my companion."

"Don't move. I still do not trust you." As soon as the voice made its command, Wrath could hear footsteps crunching on leaves. He still had not actually seen the owner of the voice. It seemed as though the man was heading straight for Zelda; Wrath wanted to go to her, to stand between her and this mysterious stranger, but the voice had already warned against such action. If the man did not trust them, he would look for an excuse to cause them harm. Wrath could not risk starting a fight with anyone while Zelda was in her current condition.

The man stopped right in front of Zelda; he paused for a moment before reaching out in front of him. He grasped at something and pulled it towards him. In an instant, Zelda was no longer hidden by Wrath's magic.

"Wh-who... are you? How could you so easily see... past his magic?" Zelda quietly asked in Charcaian. It was hard for her to choke the words out, as she was tired, chilled to the bone, and feeling dizzy.

"You really are in bad shape; your aura is getting weaker even as we speak. Lucky for you: my companion already sensed your presence here, and she wishes to meet you. Come." Zelda tried to focus on the person who had approached her, but all she could make out in the darkness was a full body cloak. The cloaked man turned away from her.

Wrath quickly appeared at Zelda's side again.

"Can you walk?" He quietly asked.

"Y-yes... just... slowly..." It was already hard to see in the dark forest, but Zelda was sure that the ground was moving around now.

 _Shit... I feel awful._

"Quickly now. If you have to, carry her." The man started to walk away from the two of them. Wrath wordlessly scooped Zelda in his arms using his powers and hurried after their guide.

 _I hope they can help us. I am honestly worried about you; I have never seen you this bad off._ Wrath projected his thoughts into Zelda's mind.

 _I... will be fine... I just need to rest…_

"So... mind telling me why your companion has the mark of a Dark Priest on her brow?" The man asked, clearly on edge. Both Wrath and Zelda were taken by surprise, as they had no idea how he could have known such a thing. It was dark out, after all, and the crescent moon-shaped mark on her face easily blended in with her already dark hair.

"I was attacked... by one of Kkladekk's men." Zelda responded.

The man seemed to take pause when Kkladekk's name was spoken out loud.

"That boy is determined to spread his chaos everywhere, I see... Lord Charcai, preserve us. If it is true that the mark was forced upon you as you claim, then all I can do is apologize on his behalf. But apologies cannot lift the curse from you. How long have you lived with the mark?"

"Several months now."

"Can he control you?"

"No. Someone else is controlling me. But not right now, at least..."

"Someone else...?"

"Kkladekk taught a man the spell to transfer souls. That man, however, is not loyal to Kkladekk; he is using the magic he learned from Kkladekk to fulfill his own goals." Zelda was focusing as much as she could on the conversation. At least she was not walking; she doubted she had the energy for that.

"Hmm. If this other man attacked you, how do you know the origin of the magic?"

"Are you familiar with a book titled _The Origin of Darkness_?"

"You know of...?! Yes. It is fortunate then that our paths crossed. No... fortunate is the wrong word. Lord Charcai is definitely guiding you; He was right to bring you to us." The man muttered.

 _I suppose we can trust him?_ Zelda thought to Wrath.

 _It would seem that yes, we have found people who may even join forces with us. Thank you for stepping in._

"Nobody on Charcai knows of that ancient tome. How did you cross paths with it?"

"I found it in my library."

"You just found it...? Perhaps that was the will of Charcai, as well. That book... there is only one copy of it." The man explained.

"I had no idea that it was so rare."

"You speak my language... but be straight with me. You are not actually from here, are you?"

"I am not."

"I can tell that your aura is different, but it is completely unfamiliar to me."

"There are probably several reasons for that..." Zelda muttered to herself mostly.

"I want to ask you more questions, but we are nearly there. My companion is eager to meet you, and she will help you get your strength back. I will take you to her." The man explained.

"Wh-what can I call you?" Zelda asked.

"... You may call me Thalian. Now come."

 _Thalian? Why does that name sound familiar?_

Thalian led them into a clearing. A large tower stood high above the tops of the nearby trees.

 _That is strange; how come we did not see that tower before?_ Zelda wondered.

 _It is likely hidden with magic; it would draw too much attention otherwise._ Wrath pointed out.

"Enter the tower and climb straight to the top: she is waiting for you." Thalian explained. Without giving them time to react or respond, he quietly disappeared

.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Princess. I will need you to communicate with whoever is waiting for us." Wrath gently reminded her as he entered the tower and began their ascent.

"I am exhausted, but I am too curious to sleep right now. Just who is waiting for us?" Zelda did sound somewhat alert, but as soon as she finished speaking she sneezed.

"Ugh, it will be a miracle if I escape this ordeal and not get sick." She shivered slightly.

"Perhaps the talking will need to wait. You need to dry off and get some rest."

After reaching the third floor, Wrath stopped on the landing when he noticed that someone else was there.

"I heard you coming up the stairs." A gentle voice explained in Charcaian. The person turned around to face Wrath. Zelda studied the woman standing before them: she had a gentle expression. Her hair and eyes were brown; perfectly normal colors. Nothing seemed outwardly strange about her, at least.

"Are you Thalian's partner?" Zelda asked, speaking in Charcaian.

"Oh, so he did introduce himself after all. He can be so stubborn sometimes. Yes, I am Thalian's partner: to be more specific, I am his wife. But enough about me. How did you come to us?" The woman giggled when she spoke of her husband, but she seemed rather interested in her guests.

"I got attacked outside of the forest. During the fight, I fell into the river. It brought me to shore not too far from the clearing where this tower is."

"You got attacked?! And you fell in the river?! Oh my goodness, you could have said something sooner! Please, allow me to tend to you." The woman seemed surprised to discover the events which led Zelda to her tower.

 _Why... why was she so surprised to hear that I fell into the river...? She didn't already realize how wet I was...?_ Zelda furrowed her brow slightly, confused by the woman's reaction, but did not voice her concerns out loud.

"If you could help me get dry, and give me a place to rest for the night, I would be very grateful. Right now, I cannot walk unassisted." Zelda explained.

"Feel free to leave the young lady to me." The woman said. Wrath had not said anything, but she nodded at him as she approached the two of them.

The woman raised up her hands, which began to glow with a faint light. Wrath let go of Zelda, who was now floating in the air.

"Ah, yes, do not venture too far from this tower. You were only able to enter this space because you are with the lady. If you leave the area surrounding the tower, and she is not with you, you will not be able to return." Both Zelda and Wrath looked at the woman, perplexed.

"The mark on your face... it is the key to moving freely between this space and the world surrounding it. This space has been artificially removed from Charcai; people cannot come here to see us, and we cannot leave. The only people who can freely come and go are people who have been marked like you have." The woman explained somberly.

 _This is getting interesting. The mark Ganondorf left on your face seems to have its uses. But I give my word that I will not stray too far; it would not do for me to leave you here. We will simply have to wait until we can be reunited with everyone else._ Wrath disappeared after leaving Zelda with that message.

"... You are trapped here?" Zelda asked.

"Yes. Do not worry about us, though. For the most part, we live comfortably. And now that you are here... well, my heart finally can be at peace."

"I do not understand." Zelda furrowed her brow.

"Perhaps we will talk of that later. But for now, I need to make sure that your strength returns."

"... Kkladekk trapped you here, correct?" Zelda quietly asked as the woman started to direct them further up the tower.

"Yes. I can see that you are quite astute; if that mark is the reason you can freely come and go, then the logical conclusion to make is that this space is connected to Kkladekk. How did you come to know of him?"

"... Kkladekk is the reason that I live with this curse. He is the reason that my parents were murdered. And even after all of this time, he still pursues me. I will get no peace until he is dead." Zelda muttered bitterly. The woman listened to Zelda quietly, and could not help but look dejected.

"I can see why you feel so strongly motivated to fight against him. And indeed, I wish to stop him as well. The reason Kkladekk imprisoned us here is because he knows we have power enough to greatly hinder him. Just on our own, my husband and I were a threat. But now that we have finally met..."

"'Finally?' So, you have been waiting for me? For how long?"

"I have been waiting for eight years, but my wait is not quite over yet."

 _... Eight years?! Zukto said he arrived in Hyrule eight years ago... and his parents have been missing for that amount of time as well... wait a second... could I actually have found his missing parents?!_

"You... you are... Lanai!" Zelda blurted out as she remembered the names that Ricando had said before. The woman looked over at Zelda, clearly not expecting the outburst.

"Yes... that is indeed my name. How did you know that, young lady?"

"This man named Ricando spoke of you."

"Ricando? Ah, so you have even met him. Lord Charcai is most certainly guiding you. So then, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"... Did you come to Charcai from Hyrule?" The woman finally asked after hesitating for a moment.

"Y-yes! I am a Hylian! How do you know about that?!" Zelda was surprised to find out that this woman knew about her kingdom.

"... Eight years ago, I made a decision that I have struggled with all of these years. I always wondered if I had done the right thing. But finally after all this time... I think I have my answer. You know him, don't you? My son... Zukto."

"So it really is you, Zukto and Kkladekk's mother."

"Eight years ago, I sent Zukto to Hyrule." Lanai said in clear Hylian.

"It was you after all! I figured that someone on this side must have sent him; it would not have made sense otherwise!" Without missing a beat, Zelda switched back to Hylian. She was quite tired, but this development was too exciting to ignore.

"I am so relieved that Zukto met with Hylians who were willing to help him. I know, he must have been so confused when he first arrived. Was he with you when you got attacked earlier?"

"Yes, but the reason I ended up in the river is because the man who marked me was pursuing me. I did not have strength enough to fight, and the river was the only method of escape that I discerned. Zukto probably tried to follow me, and perhaps even now is searching for me if my enemy did not stall him."

"There are just so many questions I want to ask... but I should focus on you for the time being. Soon enough, I will be able to see him myself. That will be enough. Now, young lady, what is your name?"

"My name is Zelda."

"Zelda, do you mean the Princess?"

"Y-yes, how do you know about that?"

"Like you, I am a keeper of knowledge: it is my duty to preserve ancient rites and texts. Long ago, Charcai commanded that a few families would bear the responsibility of ensuring that all of our most important books and documents be protected and kept away from ordinary people."

"Kept away from...? But why?"

"Charcai desired to weaken Krandses' cult. He figured that if stories were to be repeated about the ancient gods, then necessarily stories would also remain of Krandses. He was willing to let _all_ gods fall into obscurity for the sake of reducing Krandses' following, so we hid all of our ancient texts at his command. We stopped teaching our youth the real story of our world's creation. Very few people alive now realize just how much we have hidden from them." Lanai looked pensive.

"How much did that plan actually work? Krandses still has 'followers.'" Zelda pointed out.

"Indeed. Krandses can be... quite persuasive. But that is why you are here, and that is why I sent my son to your world."

"About that... why did you send Zukto to us anyway?"

"Zukto had no idea back then about the events that were rapidly approaching. He did not realize the truth about his brother. My husband and I knew, but we were not able to stop him soon enough.

Kkladekk left us, so his father and I went searching for him. When we finally found him, he was not himself. He used his powers to seal us away in this forest.

Since we were unable to leave this place, my only option was to send my remaining son to Hyrule. I had read about Hyrule, and studied its language as you can see. I was not sure why, but the texts I read seemed to suggest that there was a link between your world and ours. I sent Zukto there, hoping that he could discover the threads that connected our worlds together. Gods willing, it seems that he succeeded."

"Zukto is at the very heart of this entire conflict: he is the one who sought me out, in fact, and asked for my help."

"My son sought out Hyrule's princess?" Lanai looked surprised about that.

"Eh, well, he had no idea who I actually was at the time. And the idea was not his; our Goddesses spoke to him in a dream. My Goddesses are actively guiding us, sending us to faraway lands. It was by their power that we came to Charcai."

"It is comforting to know that even your Gods wish to help us."

"Krandses is a threat to every world, not just yours or mine. We have no choice but to join forces."

"I suppose that is a fair point. Alright, we are here now. I will give you a moment to yourself; undress and step into the pool you see over there. The pool is able to adjust its temperature depending on what your body needs. When I return, I will bring tea." The woman effortlessly glided across the floor, leaving Zelda alone.

 _She said Krandses' name just now... does that mean she understands that my son is being manipulated? Perhaps there is hope yet._ Lanai smiled lightly to herself.

Zelda slowly approached the pool, using the wall as support. When she got closer to it, she leaned against the wall and began to remove her armor. She hoped that Lanai could help her dry it out later.

 _I hope she has spare clothes or something._ Zelda thought nervously as she slowly slid into the water. It felt cool at first, but within a few moments Zelda could feel it warming up.

"Wow, this feels so nice..." Zelda sighed, sinking into the water until only her head was sticking out. The pool was surrounded with windows, so Zelda looked outside. It was quite dark still, but she could get a sense of how far the river had carried her.

 _Zukto and Link are out there, somewhere... I feel so bad. They are probably looking for me, but I have no way to communicate with them... I wish I could give them some kind of sign or message, so they know I am okay…_

It was not too long before Lanai returned to Zelda's side, using her magic to keep a tray with a pot and cups levitating in the air.

"I have returned with the tea. I suspect you are hungry; unfortunately, we do not actually have food here. Since Thalian and I cannot leave, we have no way of obtaining food. When we were trapped here, we had to come up with ways to take care of ourselves. This tea is specially made to be nutrient-dense. It has sustained us for the last eight years; I hope you will find it to your liking." Lanai used her magic to pour the tea into cups and passed one to Zelda.

"Drink." Lanai suggested. Zelda gladly took the cup, and tried some.

"Oh my, this is actually quite enjoyable. What kind of magic do you use to make it?" Zelda looked curious. Her shivering already stopped and she felt more energized.

"My husband and I are using very ancient magic. It is so powerful, in fact, that we had to sacrifice something in order to make use of it."

"Sacrifice something? So did you establish some kind of a pact with a God?"

"Yes, you could say that. You are quite knowledgeable for one so young."

"That is because... I am a descendent of a very powerful family. The daughters of the Hylian Royal Family invariably inherit a power that is sacred in the eyes of my people."

"Yes, the Triforce; I know of this relic. Zukto needed to find someone like you, someone who already had knowledge of ancient secrets and possessed the strength to fight, because when he began his journey he did not have any special talents or abilities. I have faith though that the two of you will have power enough to save our worlds in due time."

"Zukto and I are not alone. We have great allies who have decided to share the burden of this task with us."

"That is most excellent to hear. No hero, no matter how mighty, can defend a world by himself. He must seek out those with the abilities he lacks."

"Speaking of my allies... I have to go find them! They are out there, somewhere... I need to let them know that I am okay." Zelda looked earnest.

"Yes, I can understand your concern. However, you still need to recover. I do not think it wise for you to wander around these woods. Who knows how long it may take to find your friends?"

"There is no point in worrying about me." Zelda quickly stood up out of the water, looking determined to leave. Lanai sighed.

"Where are your clothes? I can dry them for you." Zelda could tell that the woman was a bit annoyed with her, but she was not about to ignore her allies who were somewhere in the woods still. Zelda pointed towards the wall, but the gesture received no acknowledgement from Lanai. Zelda stared at Zukto's mother, feeling perplexed.

"Is everything okay?" Lanai asked.

"I... wait a second, you... you are blind." Zelda posed this as a statement rather than a question. Thinking back over the events of the night, this conclusion made the most sense.

"Oh, dear. You found me out so easily. Let me guess, you pointed somewhere just now? Yes, I am blind. I can hear quite well, and I have lived here long enough to know where everything is. But simple gestures like pointing do not really make sounds now do they?" Lanai smiled wryly.

"Were you blind before Kkladekk imprisoned you here?"

"No. I mentioned earlier that I had to give up something in order to utilize this magic: my vision is what had to be sacrificed. Thalian too lost his vision. I would ask that when you find Zukto, you refrain from saying anything. I want to tell him myself." Lanai somberly looked away from Zelda.

"I will not say anything to him about it, I promise."

"Take this and dry off; I shall dry the clothes you were wearing." With Zelda's guidance, Lanai found the pile of armor. Zelda quickly toweled herself off and squeezed the excess water from her hair. Once Lanai finished drying out Zelda's armor and cloaks, she used her magic to quickly dry Zelda's hair.

"I already feel better than before. Thank you."

"How will you find my son? I do not advise that you wander around aimlessly."

"Er, yes... I am still trying to figure that out. I will come up with something." Zelda muttered as she hurriedly got dressed.

Zelda bounded down the winding staircase, nearly running into Wrath when she reached the bottom.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" He asked of her, his suspicion apparent.

"I must find Zukto and Link. Want to accompany me?"

"You should be resting, you know."

"I cannot rest right now; I would just be worrying the whole time."

"You? Worry about others?" Wrath looked thoroughly amused.

"Okay, go ahead and laugh at my expense if you must. I worry less at home because I know what to expect. But here... I know so little about this place." Zelda looked pensive.

"I recognize your concern. Perhaps we can spend all of today resting to make up for the fact that you have been going non-stop since yesterday morning. How are we going to find them?"

"I still have not quite figured that out."

"I will not agree that we each search on our own to cover more ground, so do not even bother suggesting that." Wrath warned.

"Understood."

"Where are you heading at this time of the night? When I first found you, you were barely hanging on; is it really wise for you to leave the safety of the tower?" The gruff voice from before called out to them in Charcaian.

"Thalian, we are going to look for your son." Zelda explained as she turned to look at him.

"... You know my son?!" Thalian's composure quickly dropped.

"I have been traveling with Zukto for a while now."

"Please... if you can bring my son to us, I would be very grateful. What is your name, young lady?" His voice sounded less gruff all of a sudden.

"My name is Zelda: Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"...! By the gods, our plan actually worked! Lord Charcai, we are not worthy. We humbly thank you for guiding our son for these past eight years." Thalian muttered, mostly to himself.

"While you are at it, you might as well thank Hyrule's Goddesses. They specifically made sure that Zukto and I could meet."

"They of course deserve my thanks... but so do you, my dear. You have kept him safe, haven't you? You have fought by his side, and even offered him companionship and respect. Such things are invaluable."

"I... thank you. Yes. Companionship is certainly invaluable..." Zelda muttered the last part, letting her thoughts continue where she trailed off.

 _Is that word really appropriate in this situation? I have no idea. What are we? What do I want us to be? I am still unsure... I am so eager to find him, I notice. But why? I know that he is not alone, and that he can take care of himself. Even still, I…_

"Come. The fastest way into the forest is this way." Thalian interrupted Zelda's thoughts as he began to walk away from the tower. Zelda followed close behind.

"Thalian, may I ask you a personal question?" Zelda asked as the two of them walked together.

"Yes, Zelda."

"You are blind, right? I heard you talking about auras before; do you mind going into more detail about that?"

"Lord Charcai wished that I would be able to see past illusions and magic; he wanted me to see the truth. Magic can obscure the truth of one's physical form, but one's aura cannot be altered by magic. Lord Charcai took my vision from me, and trained me to read and detect the auras of living beings. That is why I could still see you, even though your partner had hidden you with his magic. His magic is just a veil: with my training, veils like that cannot hide the truth from me."

"Charcai took your vision from you? So wait, does that mean that he is here somewhere?!"

"Lord Charcai is everywhere. To answer your question though, no. Lord Charcai still does not have a physical form, but he communicates with a select number of people. He has a limited amount of power right now, so he is resting. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that... well, in the book I read... Krandses and Charcai are brothers. So too are Zukto and Kkladekk. If Kkladekk is working with Krandses, that leads one to believe that Zukto ought to be working with Charcai."

"You are absolutely right, Zelda. It is indeed Zukto's destiny to join forces with Lord Charcai. That time has not yet come though, I believe. All things will happen when they are meant to; my son found you, after all."

"You seem so calm about all of this. Does it not bother you that your sons are fighting, to the point that one of them may even kill the other?"

"I must trust that Lord Charcai will guide both of them. After all, I lack the power to do so myself. I am their father, but I am also Lord Charcai's humble servant. By serving Lord Charcai, I shall also do what is best for my sons."

"You speak as if there is a scenario where they both live."

"How can I not? I must assume that you are without children yourself. Nonetheless, I believe that you can follow this analogy.

Imagine for a moment if you will that you are Queen, and that you have a son. Your sworn enemy comes to your Kingdom and wages war against you. You lose the battle despite the best efforts of your soldiers. When your enemy has made examples of enough of your soldiers, he then turns to your son. He declares that your son has two options: be killed, or join his army. Your son—thinking that he has more of a chance to get his revenge while he is still alive—chooses to join the enemy army. Do you then, as his mother, immediately renounce him as your son? Do you wish to see him hurt or killed? Or do you constantly pray for a chance to see him again, to embrace him again?

Lanai and I pray every single day that both of our sons will be safe."

"I... I see your point. You are right: I am without children of my own. But I think I can understand the pain you are enduring."

"I am pleased that you understand the point I am trying to make. Perhaps you will keep it in mind in the coming days. For now, though, this is as far as I can go." Thalian paused as he looked up at a giant tree that came into view. The roots seemed to be overgrown in an unnatural way.

"Is this tree preventing you from leaving?" Zelda asked as she followed his gaze.

"The tree is the anchor for Krandses' magic. But do not worry: you shall be able to freely move past it."

"Wait for me. I will bring your son back; you have my word." With that, Zelda walked towards the roots of the tree. As she approached them, the roots started to lift themselves until they had formed a sort of doorway. Wordlessly, she passed through it. When Zelda was on the other side, the roots returned to their original configuration.

 _We passed by here before, I believe._ Zelda thought, directing the observation to Wrath.

 _Yes, we did. Now, how are we going to find Zukto and Link? I really do not think that aimlessly wandering around is in our best interest._

 _Yes... how do we find them indeed..._ Zelda quietly looked around the part of the forest they were in. It was dark, so there was not much to look at. She could feel a slight breeze playing with her long hair, and the leaves of the trees rustled melodically.

"So the logical course of action would be to draw their attention to my location. How can I do that without yelling...?" Zelda paused for a moment, and remembered that Link always could bring his horse to his side by playing a melody.

"Ah! That could work!" Zelda muttered with excitement as she reached into her cloak. Hidden in an internal pocket was the legendary Ocarina of Time: Zelda withdrew it from its hiding place and looked it over. The dark blue, egg-shaped instrument appeared as it always did.

"Link has better hearing than Zukto does. I hope this song can reach him..." Zelda muttered right before she took a breath to calm herself. She raised the ocarina to her lips and began to play Link's favorite song.

"How could Zelda have wandered off in her condition? I thought we would have found her ages ago..." Zukto muttered.

"We haven't even seen any indication of which direction she might have headed in. This is quite troubling." Link responded.

"If only we could get some kind of clue as to where she ran off to... or else we will be wandering around all night." Zukto sighed. He knew that Zelda had Wrath with her, and surely Wrath would be able to keep her safe. Even still, he was anxious to find her. He had to make sure she was alright.

"Wait a second! I hear something!" Link excitedly muttered.

"What is it...?" Zukto glanced over at Link, wondering what could be so exciting.

"Someone is playing my song! This tune is Epona's Song! No one on Charcai knows this song, so it has to be Zelda!" Link pointed out, looking relieved. Zukto's face immediately lit up. The strange forest suddenly seemed a lot more inviting to Link; such was the effect Epona's Song had on him.

"You have a point there. Well, shouldn't you signal her back? She needs to know that we hear the song." Zukto was relieved that they finally figured out how to locate Zelda. Still, they actually needed to _find_ her.

"Yes, let us proceed. I believe I heard the song in that direction. I shall play as we walk." Link pulled out his Ocarina, looking thoughtful for a moment. He was originally thinking of playing Epona's Song as well, but he remembered the only time Zelda ever played a song in front of them on her Ocarina; she played a song she referred to as 'Zelda's Lullaby.' Link's memory was quite good when it came to music, so he was able to recall the notes of the song. Link began to play Zelda's Lullaby.

 _I hope Link heard that... he should be able to, as long as they did not wander off too far._ Zelda was starting to wonder about how effective her plan had been, when suddenly she heard a very familiar song playing off in the distance.

"Ah, this is... this is the song that Master Impa always sang to me..." A pained expression etched itself into her face; though part of her liked the song, and she was surprised to hear who she assumed was Link playing it, the song had some less-than-pleasant memories associated with it.

"Princess, no one else knows of that song. It most certainly is your compatriots out there: you must play again, to help lead them in the right direction." Wrath directed. He noticed her melancholy expression, but chose to pretend as if he had not.

Zelda knew he had a point, so she played 'Zelda's Lullaby' in return.

"Ah! They are playing again. It must be Zelda; I cannot imagine who else it would be. Come, it sounds like we're getting closer." Link observed.

"Before we catch back up to Zelda, though, I have a question for you Ricando. You spoke clear Hylian back there. Why now, suddenly? Why not just be straight with us from the beginning?" Link asked, his left brow slightly raised.

"Ahh, I was in a bit of a panic back there; it slipped out. I had not intended to reveal that secret to you quite yet, but no matter. I studied your language many years ago because I knew that I would need to be able to speak with your people."

"You must be a man of great importance here in Charcai."

"What leads you to believe that?"

"I gather that almost no one here knows about Hyrule, let alone can understand us and speak to us."

"Your assumption is correct, that most people here are ignorant of your homeland. As to whether I am important... the way things stand now, nobody in Charcai is important. Well, except Zukto of course. We need you, Zukto. Lord Charcai needs you too, which is why you finally came back to us after all of these years."

"Did Lord Charcai intend for me to live in Hyrule all along?"

"Yes, you had to go to Hyrule. Hyrule is an ancient kingdom with great magic and powerful Gods. Lord Charcai has watched over you since you were young, and knew that there were no opportunities for you to be exposed to such things here.

You could not become the defender of Charcai until you had matured more, and experienced things that most people here would only be able to dream of. I can see already that your time in Hyrule was fruitful, though I do not want you to think that you are done with your training. You have much to learn, even now."

"I am grateful for everything you have done for us thus far, Ricando, and I hope that you will continue to guide us in the days to come."

"I have no intention of letting you out of my sight; make no mistake. Lord Charcai is adamant that I protect you. Although I must say, your friends seem to be doing a fairly decent job of that on their own. Lord Charcai was right to send you to Hyrule: her people are both powerful and benevolent."

"Such high praise, but perhaps you should have said that when Hyrule's own princess was present." Link laughed to himself quietly, thinking that Zelda would just be caught off guard by such commentary.

"I cannot argue with Ricando's assessment of your homeland, Link. Hyrule is so mysterious to me, even now, and I am also continually amazed by the talents and abilities displayed by yourself, Princess Zelda, Kyoshiro, Masters Impa and Nabooru… all of you are incredible." Zukto pointed out.

"The evil that seeks to control us must be mighty indeed, for Hyrule to need so many powerful people to come to her defense." Link countered.

"Indeed, Link. Your observation is not to be taken for granted: Hyrule possesses so many remarkable people because every single one of them plays a vital role in the current conflict. Lord Charcai did, as a consequence of his decisions centuries ago, weaken our people. One may argue either in his defense or against him on the merits of his decisions, but the fact remains that we did not develop as many powerful families as Hyrule did. I am most grateful, nevertheless, that Hylians are willing to fight alongside us to repel this evil: neither Charcai nor Hyrule can face these threats alone." Ricando explained.

"My family apparently has a history of getting mixed up in stuff like this, so I do not believe that I had much choice in the matter." Link chuckled.

"Wait, is that…?" Zukto suddenly muttered as he noticed someone leaning against a tree in the distance; in the dark it was hard to make out any distinguishing features. The figure leaning against the tree stopped playing their instrument and seemed to be looking straight at the group as well. Without giving it a second thought, Zukto ran straight towards the person. As he got closer, he was relieved to figure out that it was indeed Zelda who had been guiding them with her Ocarina. She looked at him expectantly, still leaning against the tree.

"Where have you been?! Do you realize how worried I was…? Are you okay?!" Zukto blurted out all at once, staring at her intensely.

"Zukto, calm down. There is not much for me to say, honestly. But there is something that you need to see."

"What could be more important than you right now?! You got attacked by Ganondorf, and then—" Seeing that Zukto was too excited to really pay attention to her, Zelda merely held a finger to his lips. He immediately fell quiet.

"Zukto, I understand that you are concerned for me. If you really must talk to me about it, then I shall oblige you only after you first oblige me. There is something that you must see." Zelda calmly explained as Link and Ricando caught up to them.

"What have you found, Princess Zelda?" Ricando asked, speaking in Hylian.

"Ah, so you decided to reveal your secret to these two?" Zelda remarked.

"You knew?!" Link looked incredulous.

"While Hylia was controlling me, she and Ricando had a private conversation. Hylia allows me to hang around, so I heard and saw everything. Anyway, follow me if you would." Zelda directed as she walked away from the tree and headed back towards the tree with the unnatural roots.

"Wait, this tree! I remember this thing!" Zukto remarked.

"This is only part of what I need to show you." Zelda explained as she approached the overgrown roots. When she got close enough to them, they started to stretch and contort until they formed a doorway for the adventurers.

"H-how did you…?!" Ricando looked beside himself as he watched the roots create a route for them.

"Follow me," was all Zelda said as she passed through the gateway to the space where Thalian and Lanai resided. Once all of the adventurers had passed beyond the doorway of roots, the roots began to contort themselves back into their original shape.

Everyone looked around; though it was dark, the large tower was still easily visible.

"What the…? We didn't see this tower earlier. Right?" Zukto asked.

"Correct: you did not. This place looks like the forest we were just in, but it does not exist in the same space as the rest of the forest. If you are not here, you cannot see anything that exists within this space. And the reason for all of this is… this place was sealed off from the rest of the world by your brother." Zelda explained as they walked towards the tower.

"How do you know that? And why would my brother do something like that anyway?" Zukto raised an eyebrow as the Princess explained the nature of their current surroundings.

"I am leading you here to show you something. Perhaps we will talk more afterwards, depending on what happens after I show you what we are here for." Zelda was purposely being cryptic, as she had a feeling that Zukto would not really be able to focus on a proper conversation when he finally saw his parents again.

 _Lord Charcai, I thank you for directing the girl to this place. I can finally sense Lanai and Thalian, which means they must be here. Having them as allies will be a great asset, particularly for Zukto. I know we have quite a journey yet ahead of us, but we shall prevail with your divine guidance._ Ricando smiled peacefully, although he kept his smile brief.

Everyone entered the tower, and they proceeded up the stairs one by one with Zelda still leading the way. She led them back to the third floor, where she and Wrath first saw Lanai. Instead of Lanai, Thalian was waiting for them. He was still covered from head to foot in his hooded cloak, so no one else knew who was waiting for them.

"I wanted to personally thank you, travelers from the ancient land of Hyrule, for coming to this place. You have done me a great service, you see: it is thanks to you that I can finally see my son for the first time in eight years." Thalian finally pulled his hood back when he finished talking to reveal his face. He looked in Zukto's direction, practically beaming.

"Father?!" Zukto's eyes grew wide in shock at first, but he almost immediately charged straight towards the older man. Without a moment's pause, Zukto pulled the man into a tight embrace.

"Zukto, my son, you have grown up so much in eight years. I am relieved to finally see you again." Thalian muttered quietly as Zukto hugged him as tightly as he could.

"I kept hoping that I would see you again. But after so many years passed, I did at times wonder if I ever could actually come back home… being able to see you, I finally feel a huge weight lifted from me. I am so relieved to see that you are well. We have much to talk about." Zukto muttered back, feeling equally peaceful and elated.

Lanai slowly drifted into the room while Zukto was distracted by Thalian. She was so overwhelmed by gratitude and relief that she had tears in her eyes.

"Zukto… Zukto, you have no idea how happy I am to have you back." She spoke softly as she approached him. Zukto glanced in her direction, a calm smile lighting his face.

"Mom… I have been waiting for this day for eight long years. There was never a moment that I didn't think about how you were doing." Zukto released his father so that he could hug his mother. Lanai quietly cried into Zukto's chest, so he tried to comfort her as best he could.

"Will you ever forgive me, my son? I know, you must have been so worried and confused after having been brought to a strange new land. It was I who sent you there."

"So it was you, after all. Zelda did get me to entertain the possibility that someone from Charcai might have sent me to Hyrule, but of course I had no way of knowing. I honestly wish that I could have been warned before you did it, but I understand that you probably did not have much time for that."

"I wish I could have told you too! I wish I could have taught you how to speak Hylian, so that you would have been able to communicate with their people. I hated myself for being so unprepared. My only option was to put my faith in the Gods; they had to guide you when I could not."

"Do not blame yourself for what happened. And really, I have to thank you mom. If it had not been for you, I would never have met such incredible people. I never would have… well, gone on this wild adventure. I have experienced more in these last eight years since arriving in Hyrule than I did the other 17 years of my life in Charcai. I would not trade these years for anything… but I am sorry that we had to be apart for so long. I will try to be around more often, now. But speaking of me being sent to Hyrule… how did you even know about Hyrule? How were you able to send me there?" Zukto looked quite mystified.

"We have much to talk about, dear. But it is so early in the morning, you have traveled far, and your friend was in quite bad shape when she came to us. Everyone needs to rest. I shall bring you some tea. Please, make yourselves comfortable." Lanai kissed Zukto tenderly on the cheek, and quickly ran off to prepare tea.

"Please, introduce your friends to us." Thalian requested in Hylian, looking at Zukto.

"Father, this is Link. Link is a swordsman from Hyrule, and possesses some kind of power that is considered sacred to his people. I still do not yet understand the extent of what the power is."

"Sir, I ought to admit that even I do not understand the extent of the sacred power within me. But I am so grateful for the time that I have been able to spend with your son. I consider him one of my closest friends, even though the time we have spent together has been but a fraction of the time he spent in our land."

"Well met, Link. I cannot properly express my gratitude that you journeyed with my son, fought by his side, and became his companion. Everything that I call my own is yours to command, should you have need of it. My son's destiny is to free our worlds from the powerful force that threatens both Charcai and your home, but he cannot succeed alone. He needs the help of everyone whom he has thus far met on his journey. I hope that we will all spend more time together in the coming days, as there is much work to be done. You will have to journey to our real home, the place of Zukto's birth, but we shall speak of that at another time." Thalian bowed his head slightly to show his respect to Link. Link mirrored the gesture.

"This is not all of us. You know my partner, Wrath, of course. You two spoke in the forest." As Zelda spoke, Wrath reappeared before her. He stepped out of her shadow, and also bowed towards Thalian.

"You control incredible magic, Wrath. In fact, I notice that you and the Hylian Princess possess the same magic; I find it rather curious." Thalian raised an eyebrow at Zelda's partner knowingly.

"I can see now that nothing escapes you, Sir. You are correct: Princess Zelda is a practitioner of the same magic as I."

"But you are not actually her teacher; am I correct in this assumption?"

"Not directly, no."

"Not directly? That is a rather odd choice of words, Wrath." Zelda turned to face Wrath, staring at him questioningly.

"Hmhmhm… perhaps I spoke too much. We may speak on this subject further, but I believe that now may not be the right time." Wrath simply smiled at the Princess.

"I suppose that I should introduce my partner as well. Nari, you're still with us?" Zukto questioned. For a moment, everyone looked at one another in confusion. Nari did appear finally, but she looked sullen.

"A-ah, sorry. I have stuff on my mind. I am Nari, a contemporary of Wrath's." She explained, clearly only halfway paying attention to what was going on.

"A contemporary? Do you mean to suggest that the two of you are not from this era?" Thalian questioned.

"Exactly. We were sent to this era from a distant time in order to assist both the Hylian Princess and the foreigner who has been chosen by the Gods. As you said yourself, they cannot succeed alone. Apparently, their journey is so wrought with challenges that they had to displace these two souls from their place in time." Wrath commented, shaking his head slightly. Zelda stared at Wrath with a start.

 _I cannot believe that I never thought about that before: Wrath and Nari both sacrificed everything to be with us. All of their friends and family died ages ago… and yet here they are, lending us their powers._ Zelda felt a bit embarrassed to have only come to this realization now.

 _Wrath… I want to talk, when they all go to bed._ Nari projected this thought to her old friend, looking at him expectantly.

 _Of course._ Wrath nodded at her ever-so-slightly, so as not to attract attention.

"Well met, all of you."

"There… there is one more…" Zelda began, looking pained.

"One more? I do not sense the presence of anyone else." Thalian remarked.

"My… my brother…" Zelda muttered, looking miserable. Zukto quickly went to her side, trying to comfort her.

"Hey, don't blame yourself…" Zukto quietly muttered.

"In the beginning, the group only consisted of three people: Zelda, Zukto, and a young man by the name of Kyoshiro. He came to Charcai with us, as he is an integral part of our team. But we had an encounter with Darkness Orb, and ever since then…" Link started to explain.

"Let me guess: he is being controlled by Darkness Orb now?" Thalian asked.

"Exactly. We must get our friend back, Father. Can you help us?" Zukto pleaded.

"Yes, you need to rescue your friend. Your mother and I will do absolutely everything in our power to ensure that you are reunited with him; you have my word."

Just then, Lanai returned with her levitating trays of cups and tea pots.

"I insist that everyone drinks at least one cup before you rest. You must be famished and dehydrated, and I can attest that this tea will help alleviate you of such afflictions."

Everyone took a cup as instructed and drank.

"Wow, this incredible. I have never tasted anything like this." Link marveled.

"I feel so much better. Thanks, mom. You always know exactly how to help." Zukto smiled at her affectionately. Lanai smiled, but Zukto was confused as to why he detected a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Alright, follow me. I will lead you to where you can rest your heads. Feel no rush on our accounts to get up with the sun; we want to be sure that you are fully rested, so take whatever time you need." Thalian directed everyone to a room that had several beds lined up against one wall.

"I apologize, Princess, but this is the only place we have to accommodate guests: you will have to stay here with everyone else." Thalian explained.

"Do not concern yourself with me. You and Lanai have already done a lot for me, and I am nothing but grateful." Zelda bowed her head in respect.

"See you later, Father."

"Rest well, my son, and to your friends as well." With that, Thalian excused himself.

Link and Zukto began to remove their equipment from their backs, feeling their exhaustion catch up with them. Zukto noticed though, as he took his jacket and goggles off, that Zelda was simply sitting on the edge of a bed—staring at a wall—that was on the opposite end of the room as them.

"Night." Link muttered.

"Night." Zukto echoed. He sat down on the edge of an empty bed, but did not immediately duck underneath the covers like Link did. Zelda still had not moved, or said anything. Something was clearly on her mind, and he wanted to talk to her.

 _Maybe I should wait a bit, until Link is asleep. Something tells me that Zelda is not in a hurry to sleep._

Zukto got situated under the covers of his bed, acting like he was going to sleep. Instead, he kept a close eye on Zelda. Part of him was worried that she was waiting for _them_ to fall asleep so she could sneak away again, and he did not want her to wander off after what had just happened earlier in the evening.

Nari was outside of the tower where Zukto and his friends were. Absentmindedly, she kicked a few loose rocks about. Wrath finally accompanied her.

"Something happened after Zelda jumped into the river, I take it." He stated.

"Oh, there you are; I didn't hear you. Yeah, something happened alright. I… I finally faced him." Nari sighed.

"Zukto and Link came to us in just about perfect condition, as far as I noticed. What are you so upset about, then? You more than handily protected them from Ganondorf." Wrath pointed out.

"But, but… he didn't recognize me. Not one bit." Nari lamented.

"Oh, Nari… you poor girl. You must have realized, though, that he was not going to recognize you. Our lives would have ended centuries ago, right? His, as well. Maybe Ganondorf has memories of his past lives, but he probably feels no attachment to such memories. That man is both the same man from our time, and also not the same man."

"I… I know. I do. But… he is the only link I had to my life from back then. Part of me did wish that… that he would remember. I realize too that it would have changed nothing: I am sworn to stop him at all costs. I accept this fully. But Wrath, being here…! I lost everything!" Nari cried out, clearly frustrated.

"Nari… I certainly hope that you did not intend to injure me just now." Wrath shot back impatiently.

"Wh-what…?"

"You did not lose everything: you have me." He reminded her, shaking his head.

"Wr-wrath… of course. Forgive me for being so stupid." Nari smiled weakly.

"Come here. We have to stick together, as much as it annoys me to admit it. You are the most precious person in my life, after all. Heh, although I do not know how much that even means anymore: everyone who I ever knew is dead, now."

"Wrath, you have always sucked at cheering people up." Nari glowered.

"But that is not my job, is it? _You_ are the cheerful one, the one with energy and charisma. We both cannot be so charismatic, can we? And you find my sullenness and seriousness to be attractive, do you not?" Wrath teased her, flashing a grin.

"Ugh, be still my heart. That smile of yours gets me every time; this has to be love. We have traveled hundreds of years beyond our time, and yet here I am still feeling the same way about you as the day we left everyone behind." Nari giggled, some of her usual energy returning.

"There is my Brat, back to being as silly and hopelessly romantic as always." Wrath teased, his wicked smile growing.

"Ugh! I hate you! I take it all back!" Nari declared stubbornly.

"Until the next time I seduce you with my mature charm." Wrath leaned in close to Nari to whisper to her. A shiver went up her spine.

"I guess you do not suck that much at cheering me up…" She whispered back.

A young, cloaked person was running frantically through the dark streets of Hyrule Castle Town.

 _I must contact the Goddesses!_ She thought, looking around hurriedly to make sure that she was not being followed. Sure that she was alone, she continued running towards the Temple of Time.

"Goddesses! I have returned!" The girl called out to the empty Temple when she finally shut the front doors behind her. Her voice echoed around the main chamber.

 _Hm… how do I meet with them? I know there has to be a way to speak to them here._ The girl furrowed her brow as she investigated the Temple further. There was an alter standing before a rather large, stone door. The door could not be opened, at least not by conventional means. The girl stood in front of the door, wondering if the path to the Goddesses was hidden beyond the door.

"How in Nayru's name do you open this door? I see the Triforce insignia above it, so it must be connected somehow. Right? Ugh, I just suddenly got all my memories back but I have no idea how to find the Goddesses. I should have specifically asked them when I had the chance…" The girl muttered, looking annoyed. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise coming from somewhere within the Temple.

"What was that…?" The girl wondered out loud as she looked around a little more. Suddenly, something off in a corner of the Temple caught her eye: she noticed a group of faint footprints on the floor.

"Well now, why would there be footprints gathered here in the corner?" The girl looked intrigued as she approached them. She reached out and touched the wall in front of her: her hand suddenly sunk into it, as if it was not made of stone!

"I found it!" She cried with excitement as she quickly stepped through the wall.

Once she was on the other side of the wall, the girl removed her hooded cloak. Her long, blonde hair bounced around as she quickly dashed down the long hallway and her blue eyes glowed with determination.

"Goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru! I found you!" The girl proudly declared as she finally ran up to the large statue of the Goddesses.

"Child, what in heaven's name are you doing here?! Your parents must be worried sick about you." Goddess Din scolded softly as her body materialized before the young girl.

"Do you have any idea about what time it is? Should you not be asleep right now?" Nayru questioned.

"Excuse me, Sisters, but this girl…" Farore started. Din looked at the girl again, and gasped slightly when she realized who it was.

"Oh merciful heavens… you came to Us because you remembered everything." Din posed this as a statement. The girl nodded.

"What do We do?" Nayru asked, looking surprised.

"Please! You have to tell me where she is! I must go to her! You promised that as soon as I remembered everything—" The girl frantically began.

"No, We cannot allow that: it is much too soon. We did not think that your memories would return so soon. Honestly, you are not ready to leave this place. Child, tell Us: did you reveal the nature of your condition to anyone? Did you reveal the nature of your relationship with Us to anyone? Does anyone know that you are here?" Din asked.

"No, I did not talk to anyone about anything. When my memories returned, I knew the first thing I had to do was talk to You."

"You were right to make that decision. Before We can allow you to leave the safety of Hyrule Castle Town, however, you must train with Us and study. But you must be discreet. Do you understand? We cannot have anyone discovering your secret."

"Wait, but according to my memories… my parents already know about me." The girl pointed out.

"Yes, but you did not yet tell them that your memories returned; correct?"

"Yes."

"For now, do not tell them. It is better that they do not know."

"I understand, Goddess Din."

"For now, We suggest that you return home. Only come to see Us at nighttime, and make sure that you are not followed. And remember, not a word to anyone."

"I guess we shall see each other tomorrow evening, then?" The girl was impatient to start working with the Goddesses, but she knew that they had to be careful not to reveal anything to anyone.

It was not long before Link's breathing steadied; Zukto figured he was well enough asleep by now. Zelda had not moved the entire time that Zukto had been watching her, which he found strange. Slowly, he slipped out of bed and approached her.

"Hey." He softly called out to her as he got closer.

"I knew it… you never went to sleep." Zelda muttered quietly, still not looking at him.

"What about you, hm?" Zukto asked as he sat down next to her. She met his gaze quietly.

"A few things, I guess. There is a lot on my mind, and I am afraid to sleep. Lately my sleep has been especially fitful, plagued with so many visions and voices… what is the point of sleeping anymore? I never feel rested, and I am always so vexed by what I see and hear…" Zelda looked away from him now; despite the loss of eye contact, Zukto could tell how tired she was.

"Want to talk for a while, then?"

"… Yes, let us talk. Come." Zelda abruptly stood up, and left the room. Zukto was surprised by her willingness to cooperate, but hurried after her.

Zelda was waiting for him near the winding staircase.

"I can move freely around this place. Just stay near me and you will be fine. Let us go outside, so we do not disturb anyone." Zelda suggested as she began to descend the spiraling staircase. Zukto followed closely behind, wondering just what it was that Zelda wanted to talk about.

"It seems that we are not the only ones who wanted to spend some time alone together." Wrath suddenly pointed out as he sensed Zelda and Zukto approaching.

"We should probably give them some space, hm?" Nari giggled a bit before her body dematerialized. Wrath followed closely behind her.

Just as they disappeared, Zelda and Zukto exited the tower. The sky was now faintly lit up, as the sun was starting to rise.

"I keep thinking about the song that Link played before." Zelda finally explained as they put a little distance between themselves and the tower.

"The song? Oh, you played it before too didn't you? That's why Link knew how to play it."

"He does have an oddly exceptional memory when it comes to music, it seems. He also taught himself to play the ancient song associated with the Shadow Temple in less than a day." Zelda remarked.

"What's up with the other song though? Sorry, I forgot the name of it."

"Zelda's Lullaby is the song that Link played back in the forest."

"You kinda were acting weird when you first told us about that song, now that I think about it."

"Yeah, well… the memories I have of that song are rather conflicting."

"What do you mean?"

"At first, when Master Impa took me in after my foster parents were murdered… I was a mess. I listened to her, and did as she asked. But I barely spoke; I had mostly shut down. And no one in the village wanted anything to do with me. Master saw how badly I was dealing with my grief in the aftermath of the attack, so one night she began to gently hum a song to me. I did not know why, but hearing the song made me feel more human than I had since the tragedy. I finally spoke to her, to ask what the name of the song was. When she told me, I was confused. Why would she sing a song to me that was made for someone named Zelda, I wondered. She told me that Zelda would not mind if her song was used to comfort other people, because obviously she could not come out and tell me the truth about who I was.

I accepted her answer though, and started to wonder more about this Zelda person. The song was comforting, but also a little sad. I was always happy when Master Impa sang it for me, though. Eventually, I got bold enough to ask Master Impa questions about Zelda. She told me that Zelda was a princess, a person who would eventually rule over the Kingdom of Hyrule. I asked Master Impa if I would ever get to meet Princess Zelda, and she said that it might be possible when I got older.

From that point on, I actually started to invent scenarios in my head about meeting her. I even thought that she might want a friend, and that we could go on adventures together. Since the young villagers who were my age no longer wanted anything to do with me, I had no friends. Whenever I had free time, all of my games included Zelda. I imagined fighting fierce creatures with her, discovering hidden artifacts, exploring ancient temples… that hope I had of befriending Princess Zelda kept me going for the five years I grew up with Master Impa.

But then the King of Hyrule visited us in Kakariko Village one day. At first, I did not even realize who had come to visit us. When Master Impa introduced me to him, I was momentarily ecstatic: I asked him if he was going to take me to meet Princess Zelda. I never in a million years expected him to say what was coming next: he explained that no, he was not going to take me to meet Princess Zelda. Instead, he had come to reveal to me that _I_ was Princess Zelda, and that it was time for me to move back to the Castle.

At first, I was stunned into complete silence. Part of me was saying that I had to believe him: after all, why would _the King of Hyrule_ find some random, meaningless girl, and play a trick on her? It made zero sense that he would do something like that. But I was also so blind sighted by the revelation that the girl I had spent so much time thinking about for the last five years was _actually myself._ And then, the disappointment set in: the girl who was going to be my friend, the girl who I would go on exciting adventures with… she did not exist. When I fully realized that fact, I started to feel angry and upset. I was upset that I had to accept the fact that I was utterly alone again; mad at myself for allowing myself to be hopeful about something; mad at the King for suddenly just showing up and expecting me to act like the last fifteen years had never happened… I lashed out at him.

Master Impa still insisted that I stay with my Father. I had no choice but to listen, but I had already decided that I hated him. I hated him, and everything that had to do with Princess Zelda. Even though I obeyed Master Impa, and began living with my birth parents, I never promised anyone that I would listen to everything that my Father said. I began sneaking out of the Castle whenever I could, mostly to see Master Impa in Kakariko. Though she chastised me at times for giving my parents trouble, she never did anything to stop me: she knew that I felt trapped while in the Castle. I began to look forward to my little excursions, because it was the only time that I truly felt like I was myself. At the Castle, I always had to behave in a very rigid manner. I always had to submit to the authority of people who had done nothing to earn my trust or respect. The only person who I trusted, who I respected, who I felt love towards was the Sage of Shadow.

So… there you have it." Zelda paused a moment to retrieve the Ocarina of Time. She solemnly stared at it.

"The reason why I hate this damn thing, the reason why I always run out of patience when I am with my Father… the reason why I despise my fate as the Sage of Sages: I am still bitter that I never got to be friends with Princess Zelda. Can you even imagine the ridiculousness of it all? I spent _five years of my life_ imagining that I would get to meet this girl, only to discover that I knew her the entire time! How in Din's name do I befriend myself? Not that I deserve to be befriended; I am an absolute mess. Who would _want_ to be friends with someone like me, anyway?!" Zelda cried out, overflowing with frustration and disappointment.

Zukto had been listening intently the entire time, but the culmination of her story left him completely speechless.

 _By the Gods… I do not know what I was expecting, but I honestly did not expect this. I knew she was suffering, but this really is worse than I realized._ Zukto felt at a loss about what to do, so he quickly pulled Zelda into an embrace.

"Zu-zukto?!" Zelda—feeling flustered—wanted to protest their current arrangement.

"You really do not have to talk about yourself that way, you know. There are people who understand that you've been through a lot, and they're willing to accept that. They're willing to accept you for you, flaws and all. They're willing to stand by your side… at least, that's how I feel about you. Thank you, Zelda, for telling me what's been on your mind."

"D-do not let your head get too big because of it. I told you because… because you told me, back in the Well of Three Features… look, if you really were telling me the truth back there, then I think I have to be absolutely honest with you. You need to see what I am really like; how I think; how I feel… I am going to give you a chance to figure out how horrible I really am. I am giving you a chance to back out before it is too late; I am doing this as a favor to you, because I care about you and do not want to hurt you. You understand, right? Zukto… I will never forgive myself if I hurt you." Zelda explained, returning his embrace. Now, she felt like the hug was convenient because she could hide her face from her friend.

"Zelda, I appreciate that you are concerned for me. You will never hurt me, however; such a thing is not possible." Zukto smiled wryly.

"How do you know?! Demise keeps trying to control me, and I have tried to hurt you before! It is only a matter of time before I—" Zelda began, panicking slightly. Zukto only held onto her tighter.

"Zelda, I will never blame you for what Demise wants to do. Demise and you are completely different people, and it doesn't seem right to blame you for what he does when his powers are far beyond your own."

"But Demise exists because of me. He... is getting stronger because of me. Do not try to tell me that I am wrong; you cannot deceive me. He is growing strong thanks to all of these horrible feelings that plague my heart and mind."

"So all we can do is encourage better feelings to grow, right? Demise cannot feed off of love, joy, gratitude, and serenity, right? Aren't those the feelings that would help Hylia?" Zukto smiled knowingly.

"... Yes, you are right."

"And another thing... it honestly baffles me that you keep telling yourself that Demise is purely your responsibility to deal with. I may not know as much as you, but I have gathered that Demise is not someone who can be stopped by a single person, much less a mortal.

Hylia herself could not fight him off single-handedly; why do you expect yourself to do what Hylia could not? Relying on your friends is not some kind of crime. If Hylia needs help, then you do too. And we are all more than willing to lend you our strength."

"It is so funny to me that you seem to be better suited as Nayru's mortal than I do. You are so calm and intuitive, while I have been getting quite emotional and irrational as of late..."

"Partly due to Demise's influence, remember."

"Speaking of Demise... what... what happened during the battle in the Shadow Temple?" Zelda looked uneasy as she asked.

"Do you not remember any of it?" Zukto furrowed his brow.

"N-no, I remember some of it; I swear I do. I remember seeing my parents, and I just froze up. And I got attacked, right? That is the last thing I remember."

"Demise took over your body and spoke to us: that is actually when we figured out that it had been Demise controlling you the entire time. Master Impa was there with us. I did defeat the foul creature that met us down there, but I promise you that no harm came to your parents; they can rest peacefully now. Oh, and your mother spoke to me."

"Lillia spoke to you?! Wh-what did she say?!" Zelda looked at Zukto expectantly.

"She said that you have become a brilliant young woman, and that she has been watching you for all of these years." Zukto smiled as he repeated the message.

"M-mom... Ahh, dammit, why was I unconscious?! There is not a single day that goes by that I do not wish that I could speak to her, and yet I missed that chance...!" Zelda started to cry softly.

"Hey, hey... ordinarily, we cannot speak to the dead. You know that. Your mother is happy enough to see that you are defending your home and your subjects." Zukto gently rubbed Zelda's back as she cried.

"... My powers are wasted if I do not..." Zelda suddenly muttered, realization lighting up her face.

"Hm?"

"So that is what Master meant before. I got mad at Master Impa when we were staying with her because she accused me of forgetting some of the things she taught me, but she is absolutely right. I lost sight of one of the most important lessons she ever taught me, namely that power for the sake of power is meaningless. Power that is not used to defend the weak and enrich the lives of those around you is wasted.

I met Kyoshiro many years ago. I could tell as I tended to him that he was struggling with more than just physical wounds. On the last day we spent together, he asked me why I was working so hard at such a young age. I repeated to him what Master Impa always said, that it was my responsibility to use my powers to the benefit of everyone else. Something changed after that, for both him and myself. We lost sight of what we really cared about. Me, it was my strong desire for revenge which clouded my mind. Demise is even now using it against me.

As for Kyoshiro... I am not entirely sure what is going on with him, but it is most certainly your brother's doing. We have to help him: we owe this to him. He is no longer a mere friend: he is my family." Zelda looked more determined than ever now.

"A mere friend, hm? Is that what you think of me?" Zukto flashed a grin at the princess.

"I should say yes, because I know that is exactly what you do not want me to say." Zelda taunted.

"Should? Interesting choice of words; so there is something else, then?" Zukto teased.

"Maybe there is, maybe there is not. But it would ruin the fun if I told you, so my lips are sealed for now." Zelda looked rather triumphant, thinking that Zukto would not be able to think of a comeback.

"Y'know, Princess, this banter counts as flirting. And I must say: I quite enjoy it." Zukto pointed out, chuckling.

"Me, flirting?! H-how could you say something so ridiculous?! I have never done that before in my life!" Zelda's consternation plainly showed on her face.

"Flirting doesn't have to involve compliments or directly speaking about someone you like. The way you were talking to me though, you were definitely flirting with me: just admit it." Zukto's grin grew wider.

"Admitting something like that means you win. I cannot allow your head to get any bigger than it already is." Zelda defiantly pointed out.

"Actually, you cannot win this situation no matter what. Not admitting it has the same effect as admitting it." Zukto laughed quietly.

"Ugh, you are the worst!" Zelda groaned as she suddenly turned away from Zukto.

"And yet... I cannot help but want to be closer to you." As soon as she said that, she quickly smiled at Zukto and then ran back towards the tower. Zukto watched her, thinking she was going to disappear into the tower without a second glance. To his amazement, though, she did stop and turn around.

"You know, your mom is going scold you when she figures out that you did not get any sleep!" She called to him.

"And just whose fault would that be?!" Zukto fired back, grinning.

"Hey now, _you were the one who waited_ for Link to fall asleep because you wanted to speak to me; not my fault!" Zelda laughed. Zukto paused, realizing that he had not heard Zelda's laugh in a while. A big smile grew on his face.

 _She has been through so much… even now, I bet she's quietly lamenting over Kyoshiro's fate. Despite everything, though… I am so relieved to see that she has allowed herself to open up to us. It bothered me before, when she told me that she could not have friends because of 'what she was.' I can see now that she was alluding to her status as the princess… but none of that matters to me. I love this side of her._

"What about you, hm? Are you tired?" Zukto asked as he started to close the distance between them.

"Honestly, a better question to ask would be 'when am I not tired?' But I digress. I am curious about what else is in this tower: are you?"

"Would you like me to accompany you?"

"If you have nothing better to do."

"Nothing that I have to do is more important than spending time with you." Zukto quietly said as he approached Zelda. A blush crept up her face instantly.

"Zukto?!"

"Am I going to have to separate you two?" Wrath suddenly appeared, feigning seriousness. In all actuality, he was teasing the two of them. Zelda about had a heart attack.

"Wrath?! Have you been here this whole time?!"

"With all due respect, Princess Zelda, I always stay in your shadow. Further, Lanai already explained to us that we cannot travel too far from you lest we get separated; keeping those points in mind, of course I would stay with you.

We were so worried before about Demise's effect on her mind, but it seems clear to me that _you_ have truly addled her brains, Zukto. We need to keep an eye on you." Wrath mercilessly taunted, clearly enjoying himself.

"W-wrath, I—" Zelda began, though she did not even know how to react.

"Poor Princess! Wrath, you started joking so suddenly that you confused her!" Nari chastised as she too made an entrance.

"I guess Zelda is not the only person who's getting friendlier." Zukto chuckled.

"H-hey... since we are all here... I have something to say." Zelda began, trying to steer the conversation in a direction she could handle.

"What is it?" Zukto was not sure what to expect now.

"Wrath and Nari, I honestly did not really think about this until just recently, and I am ashamed of myself for missing something so obvious. You have traveled a long way through time to help us, to the point that you had to leave behind everyone and everything familiar to you. I am so grateful to the both of you."

"Oh Zelda, you are so nice! Don't worry though, Wrath and I still have each other!" Nari giggled.

"I guess it would be easier to travel together if you already knew each other. But you miss your families I assume?"

"I definitely miss them. Well, the ones who I left back there, anyway."

"Th-the ones who you 'left back there?' So someone else traveled through time with you?" Zelda was puzzled.

"Not exactly. You see, Ganondorf has been reborn in a similar manner as you and Link have ever since Demise failed to defeat an ancient hero centuries and centuries ago. In the era I come from... Ganondorf was my father." Nari looked exasperated. Zelda and Zukto stared at her in disbelief.

"I-I mean, I suppose it stands to reason that Ganondorf would have children of his own... but I guess I never really took time to consider that possibility. How come you are helping us, then?" Zelda asked, being the first to recover from the shock.

"My father was—and still is—an enemy of Hyrule. His corrupted soul desires only the destruction of everything we hold dear. Of course I must help you. And considering that his lust for destruction endures, even this far into the future... I know that fighting against Ganondorf is my responsibility.

Hyrule still exists, thanks to the Gods and the champions they have picked over the ages. You, Zukto, Link, Kyoshiro... you guys are the champions of this era. But every hero needs guidance. I am more than happy to be here in the future, protecting my home and my descendants from the destruction that Ganondorf wishes to inflict on this world.

My poor mother though... I just up and left so suddenly. Hopefully she forgave me." Wrath threw Nari an understanding glance when she finished.

"As for me, I actually think that coming to the future to be with you was the best possible fate I could have imagined." Wrath began.

"Was there someone from the past you were happy to be rid of?" Zukto joked.

"Many someones. Let's just say that I was quite distrusted. The main reason I asked the Sage of Shadow of my era to be my teacher was because I wanted a way to present myself as respectable. People were going as far as calling me treasonous, so I had to do something to prove that I was a friend of Hyrule and her people."

"Why would someone claim that you were treasonous?" Zukto looked incredulous.

"Well I would not expect you to know Zukto, since you are not a native Hylian. But our Princess, however, being the scholar that she is, should have an idea."

"An idea... um... if anyone were to call you a traitor… wait a second—are you really one of the interlopers?!" Zelda looked even more shocked now than she did when she found out that Nari was related to Ganondorf.

"In the flesh and blood. The others like me were agitating for war before Master Impa sent me to be with you in this era. By coming here to your time, I accomplished a few things: I could be with Nari uninhibited, I did not have to participate in that mad war, and no one tried to have me killed or imprisoned for being a 'spy for the enemy.' Everyone knew what I was; they would have showed me no mercy, even if I fought by their side.

As soon as I came to this era with you, and had access to books, I took the time to research whatever I could of what came of that conflict. I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened, and since we traveled so far into the future… I was happy to see that your books had information about an era so far gone.

The Goddesses did not tolerate the other interlopers, and quickly had some ancient light spirits seal away their powers. Eventually the interlopers themselves were sent to a parallel world, the world that our friend the wolf spirit told us about: The Twilight Realm.

So in a way, my people still exist: they changed, due to living in that strange world, while I have not. The Twili, the name now given to the beings that descended from the interlopers, cannot exist in the light of your world. Luckily, I do not have that weakness." Wrath looked like he was reminiscing.

"But you always hide in my shadow. Why is that, exactly?"

"I suppose I can tell you now. Earlier I thought that I would keep quiet for a bit longer, but there is really no point in keeping this secret. I am the original practitioner of the magic you employ: I taught the very first Sage of Shadow how to control shadows and utilize Shadow Magic. I too, as an interloper, had incredible powers.

When I went to Master Impa, I suspected that she would not blindly agree to be my 'teacher' unless I offered something to show her how serious I was about working with her. I offered to teach her my magic, and how to fight, and in exchange she would teach me things that ordinary citizens were not privy to.

I was technically a 'Sage in training,' though obviously I could not fulfill my obligation to serve in my Master's place due to traveling so far into the future before my training was complete. In that way, your authority surpasses my own: You are the Seventh Sage, after all. Your training with the Sage of Shadow of this era has no bearing on your position as the Seventh Sage, as that is your right by birth.

But you certainly are a curious Seventh Sage… the first one ever to control the shadows. You have those powers thanks to me, and the others who descended from my Master's bloodline.

"So that is why our powers are similar: you are the source of them. What an incredible discovery! That must be why I feel such a strong connection to you." Zelda smiled at Wrath. He chuckled.

"So it does not bother you that I was one of them?"

"Of course not. That conflict happened so long ago in Hyrule's history, and you have been an important ally to me. I am grateful that the Master Impa of your era allowed you to come with us to the future. I hate thinking about what might have happened, had you remained in your time: I fully understand that people can be unnecessarily cruel, and times of war only exacerbate things. I would welcome you with open arms, should you decide that you wish to remain in our time. Your powers and guidance are invaluable."

"I thank you, Princess Zelda, for accepting me as one of your own despite my unsavory past."

"I would hardly call your past unsavory, considering that you were not blinded by the dark ambitions of your former family. Why, may I ask, did you not want to assist the interlopers in controlling the Sacred Realm?"

"We had heard rumors that the Triforce could grant wishes; naturally, some among my people desired to have that power for themselves. Me, I only had one wish… and it was a wish that I knew I could fulfill on my own. I did not think it wise to waste such an incredible relic on something like—well, let us just say that I would have gleaned no satisfaction out of begging a magical artifact to solve my problems for me.

I also could see the hearts of my brothers for what they were: petty and shallow. They made such a fuss about the chance at controlling the Sacred Realm, but for what? The only reason that people came to mistrust me in the first place was because I associated with the other interlopers, and the interlopers were not being secretive about their ambitions. If they had just settled down somewhere in Hyrule, and put their powers to good use… the Gods would not have banished them. I already knew, before I left that time behind, that my brothers would never succeed. I always thought them incredibly foolish… and look where their greed brought them.

I knew I was making the right choice back then; even still, I also did not fully trust the Hylians to do the right thing. The Gods gave me a chance, though, to take my fate into my own hands by allowing me to travel through time. I am glad for this opportunity, and do not intend to waste it."

 _So Wrath sees this as an opportunity, then, to escape circumstances that felt beyond his control. I wonder: is there a way for me to do something similar? Do I have a way to escape or take control of my fate, in a way that could ease the pain that I feel?_

… _No. This is exactly what I was talking about before: I need to remember what my obligations are to my people. I have power, much more than they could dream of. The only proper way to use this power of mine is to serve and guide my people. But at what personal cost? Can the Gods demand literally everything from me? I have already lost family members… how much more of this can I endure?_

"We kind of were talking about other things before, but I noticed that you said that you can now be with Nari. What do you mean by that, exactly?" Zukto asked, looking curious.

"Zukto, you should know well enough what I mean." Wrath chuckled.

"A-are you two… lovers?" Zelda asked, looking surprised.

"Even though Wrath has a hard time admitting it, we are. My family did not approve of him, of course… so in a way, I am happy to be together with him here: no one can interfere now. It kinda sucks, though, that I could never get my parents to accept him.

My family—minus my father of course—means a lot to me. I wanted Wrath to be welcomed into it. Oh well… seeing as we're here now, there's not much point worrying about it." Nari looked disappointed nonetheless.

"I am grateful, though, that you left behind your lives for my sake. I did not make that clear before, and I sincerely apologize."

"You may not have explicitly said anything, but your trust in me is enough. In many situations, you can maneuver yourself out of trouble. But you always fully trust me to know how to guide you when you need the tide turned in your favor. It feels nice to have someone respect and trust me, finally." Wrath mused.

"You're a good kid, Zelda. You really are. Sorry; force of habit. Back in my time, I was barely older than you are now. I may have come so many centuries into the future, but I am pretty much the same, crazy young lady I was back then. Technically I am one of the oldest people you will ever meet, but when you jump time like that your mind does not mature like it would normally." Nari stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Crazy is absolutely right." Wrath chuckled.

"Admit it: you love it. You were so bored hanging around the Sage of Shadow all the time, so my spunk is a welcome change of pace." Nari winked.

 _I-is this how it was when Zukto and I spoke earlier? This is f-flirting…? Ugh, I feel so embarrassed now. But they seem to be having fun… I never realized how close they were before. Admittedly, it is not necessarily my business, but… I guess having a relationship is okay if you only talk about it with people whom you trust._

"Something on your mind, Princess?" Wrath asked, knowing full-well what she was thinking about.

"Y-yes. I asked Zukto before if he would accompany me, so I shall extend that offer to you as well. We are going to investigate this place. You already noted that you could sense a great power here: I am not entirely convinced that we have seen everything there is to see yet. Each time we ascended this tower, someone or something happened to distract us from further exploration. Since we still seem to be on our own, we might as well make use of this time."

"Fair enough. How about it, Nari?" Wrath was almost disappointed that she deflected his teasing so easily.

"Sure, I'll go. Hanging out with you guys is pretty fun, at least." With that, both Nari and Wrath disappeared.

"Hmph, I need to get him back." Zelda grumbled to herself as they began to ascend the tower, turning slightly red as she thought about what Zukto had said to her right before Wrath made his appearance. And then, she remembered his comment about her "addled brains." Was this what friends normally did? She had not expected Wrath to tease her like that.

"Wrath was unexpectedly forward just now. He seemed to be in a good mood, at least. I still do not really understand what he is, though." Zukto looked a bit perplexed. Zelda used Zukto's comment as a way to regain her composure.

"Historians do not really know either, because not a single one of Wrath's kind 'survived' that conflict so long ago: every single one of them, minus Wrath, was banished to the Twilight Realm. Further, ordinary people do not know about the Twilight Realm; the method of traveling back and forth between it and our own world is a closely-guarded secret.

Considering those circumstances, it is not surprising that we were never able to learn about his people. Now that we know what he is, though, we may be able to find out more about him in time. I am quite curious myself, and anything he could tell us would be of great interest to any historian; I am willing to wait for him to be ready, though."

Her attention then directed itself towards the top of the tower: something had to be hiding up there.

Someone else had already ascended the tower before anyone else.

"This place… there is no mistaking it. _He_ is here." Ricando muttered quietly as he approached the center of the room. There was an orb sitting atop a stone pedestal.

"Are you well, Lord Charcai?" Ricando asked quietly to the room at large. He waited a few moments, but did not get any kind of acknowledgement or reply.

"Hm… are you not yet strong enough to communicate with me then? I suppose that I am not surprised to finally find you, only to discover that you are still a bit beyond our reach… but at any rate… how do we restore your strength…?" Ricando walked away from the orb, opting to stand before a large window with his back turned towards the staircase leading up to the room.

"Ricando, I suppose we have you to thank for our son's return." Thalian remarked as he approached his old friend. Ricando shook his head.

"No, it is all thanks to Lord Charcai: I could never take credit away from Lord Charcai, who works so tirelessly for our sake."

"You are the most devout man I have ever met. I have not seen you in eight years, and yet it feels like no time has passed at all." Thalian remarked nostalgically.

"It never does…" Ricando muttered, feeling mentally exhausted.

"What have you been doing for these last eight years, anyway?"

"I was looking for you and Lanai, and Zukto, of course. Also, I had to actively evade Kkladekk: he knows that I am on your side, and sees me as a threat."

"Now that we have all been united, we can fight back. Krandses cannot possibly stop all of us by himself. Zukto really did find some great allies, which makes me all the more hopeful." Thalian looked pleased.

"Unfortunately for your son, his work is only just beginning. But with all of us supporting him, he can overcome all of the challenges laid out before him. Speaking of your son…" Ricando paused here briefly. As soon as he did, Zelda came bounding into the room followed by Zukto, Wrath, and Nari. She seemed surprised to see people already there.

"Ah, the Hylian Princess. Have you gotten enough rest?" Thalian asked.

"I was quite curious about the amount of magic power radiating from this place, so I decided to check it out." Zelda decided to ignore his question about how rested she was, as she was in no mood to discuss anything of a personal nature.

"Zelda, that orb I believe is the source of what I sensed earlier." Wrath observed as he approached the pedestal.

"Now that we have finally been reunited, my son, and you are much more prepared, I can finally reveal the secrets of our family to you. You see, Zukto, your mother and I both are descendants of ancient families which were selected by Charcai to preserve our world's most important secrets.

Before Charcai sacrificed himself, he decided that the only way to weaken Krandses' faction and avoid an all-out war was to eliminate knowledge of _all of Charcai's Gods and its very history_. After all, had legends persisted about the Gods then naturally stories would remain of Krandses as well.

That is where our families come in: very few of us were given the privilege of remaining aware of our heritage. Your mother and I have inherited the responsibility of safeguarding the most important works of scholarship regarding the gods Charcai and Krandses, and our very world, from some of Charcai's most powerful families. We were going to reveal all of this information to you when you came of age, but when we figured out that Kkladekk was working against us... we had to significantly change our plans.

We have much to talk about. If you are going to take a stand against Krandses, you need to know the truth. Lanai?" Thalian took a pause here as he noticed his wife approaching.

"Zukto, I apologize for keeping so many secrets from you. But now that you are so much stronger, you will be able to make use of what we know.

To begin, I suppose I should say that our family is the reason that Charcai is known as the Land of the Morph. Remember those times that strange things would inexplicably happen, such as forests dying or craters appearing? There have been times when our families did actively oppose Darkness Orb: those strange phenomena are directly the result of the fighting between Darkness Orb and us.

But again, we cannot discuss matters involving Darkness Orb with regular people... so we had to come up with some kind of story to distract people from our activities. This was way before my time, mind you: using the power of this orb you see, our ancestors constructed a tower near the capital and left a replica orb at the top. They told everyone that the strange phenomena were caused by the orb, and happily for us they have more or less believed it this whole time."

"I can understand that people would, with some amount of persuasion, accept the story of the fake orb manipulating the space around it. Magical artifacts are not so strange, especially where I am from.

However, there is something that does not really make sense to me: right after Charcai sacrificed himself, people would have still been loyal to him. That is the feeling I got when I read part of _The Origin of Darkness_. How then were you able to so thoroughly erase the love the people had for Charcai?" Zelda questioned.

"You bring up a fair point, Princess Zelda. Charcai himself saw to that: he used part of his remaining power to 'grant all creations of Krandses free will.' In other words, he felt that they would be better off without being beholden to some fantastical being. He wanted them to move away from mindless worship; he wanted them to become masters of their own destinies: he erased himself and Krandses from their minds." Thalian explained somberly.

 _... Charcai actually felt that way? Why was I not born here in Charcai?! How I wish that the Golden Goddesses would grant me freedom from their oppressive 'guidance.' I am starting to appreciate Charcai more and more._ Zelda fumed.

"Okay, so if everyone had been tricked into thinking that the fake orb was so powerful... why has Darkness Orb left it alone for so long? Wouldn't they want its power? Or at the very least, wouldn't they want to prevent us from using it against them?" Zukto wondered out loud.

"Another astute question. Actually, there were times throughout our history that Darkness Orb stole the fake orb. Before they could discover our ruse, we used the power of the true orb to decimate whatever their stronghold happened to be at the time. After a few failed attempts, they were quite hesitant to even approach the tower where the fake orb rests." Ricando mused.

"You said that Charcai used his power to erase both himself and Krandses from the minds of the people: why then does Darkness Orb have so many followers even now?" Zelda interjected.

"To be fair, Darkness Orb actually has fewer followers now than it used to. But to address your question, I believe that Charcai's magic only worked on those who lacked any kind of magical training. The skilled warlocks that comprised the upper ranks of Darkness Orb, however—their skills were more than sufficient to block out Charcai's magic. With their memories intact, they would have continued to recruit members in secret. And recruiting members in secret leads us to important business which we need to discuss. Lanai?" Ricando passed the conversation back to Zukto's mother.

"I should say before we continue that I am so relieved to have you with us, Ricando. Your knowledge is invaluable. It does my heart well to see that you avoided Krandses' grasp for the last eight years.

Now, Zukto, as Ricando said we have some important business to attend to. Though your Father and I are isolated from the rest of Charcai, we can still sense some things. We believe that the very land is becoming tainted with Krandses' magic, and if we wish to stop him we must reverse the damage he has done.

To do this, we need to reawaken Charcai's dormant magic. There are many shrines hidden throughout Charcai: you must find these shrines and purify them. The more of them you purify, the greater defense we will have against Krandses' dark magic.

We obviously have been unable to investigate this matter for ourselves, since we are trapped here, but Darkness Orb must have some kind of way of moving about Charcai virtually undetected. You should seek out anything suspicious that might be tied to Darkness Orb, and destroy it if you can."

"Oh, like that strange series of passageways from before!" Zukto's eyes lit up with realization.

"Oh? You already found something, I presume?" Lanai looked pleased.

"Yes. I discovered a series of passageways underground that almost seemed like they were attached to some kind of central hub. The mark on my face granted me easy access to them." Zelda explained.

"A curse that is also a blessing… it seems fitting to use Krandses' own magic against him." Thalian nodded with approval.

"I wonder if those passageways connect to every main region of Charcai. Be sure to investigate them as much as you can, but be careful of course. If you know about them already, I can only assume that Krandses and his followers will not make it easy for you to move around in their domain." Lanai cautioned.

"Those passageways must also be somehow connected to Hyrule! How else would Kkladekk be able to move between our worlds so easily?" Zelda pointed out.

"So while we are traveling, we should keep an eye out for the method that Darkness Orb members use to travel between our worlds. If they can use it, we should be able to as well. Being able to return to Hyrule whenever we want would certainly be convenient."

"And a relief. I am worried that Kkladekk might just leave us here and return to my world to cause trouble, since almost no one over there would be able to stop him." Zelda furrowed her brow.

"I suppose we will need to try to work quickly." Zukto was starting to feel overwhelmed. They did not even know how many shrines they needed to find, or where any of them were located. To top it off, there were many members of Darkness Orb they had yet to meet; what kind of abilities would they have?

"We also have to rescue Kyoshiro. I know, it will be hard to do that if we have no idea where he is or what he might be doing… still… it does not feel right that we are here without him, learning so much about your family."

"I promise that we will do what we can for him. There's got to be some way to reverse whatever magic Kkladekk used on him."

"Back to the most immediate concern, however… these shrines that must be purified, is there anything you can tell us about them? How will we know them when we see them? And how do we actually purify them?" Zelda directed these questions to Lanai, Thalian, and Ricando.

"… Lanai and Thalian, I have a request to make. May I please take the orb you're safeguarding here? I believe that it will help us locate the shrines." Ricando had a feeling that his request would be unexpected, but he knew what he was looking at and would do whatever he could to obtain it.

"Well, I… if you are with Zukto and his friends, I suppose you can keep it safe… just remember what could happen if Kkladekk were to obtain it for himself." Lanai looked a bit troubled.

"You do realize that if Kkladekk ever came back here, he could easily take it away from you? If you leave the orb here, it is too easy of a target." Ricando pointed out.

"Y-yes, you do have a point there… I suppose the best course of action would be to allow you to take it with you, especially if you believe that the orb will help you stop Krandses. We will allow it, Ricando. After all, you are our most trusted friend." Lanai nodded.

"Thank you very much, Lanai. I promise to take care of it." Ricando felt nervously excited, but he did not want anyone to know why. The orb would help them: that was not a lie. It seemed as if not even Lanai or Thalian knew the significance of this relic, however.

Lanai used her powers to remotely lift the orb off of the pedestal and pass it to Ricando. He immediately placed the orb onto a mount that was fixed to the staff he always carried around: the orb, once it had been set on the mount, came to life!

Everyone watched with fascination as the orb shone with a bright light. Within moments, the staff started to change its form. The orb remained on its mount at the head of the staff, like before, but four additional heads began to form around the central orb in a staggered formation. At the tip of each of the new heads, a familiar shape magically carved itself out of wood. These emblems all faced away from the central orb.

Zelda's eyes narrowed at the newly-transformed staff. The arrangement of the emblems around the orb, the emblems themselves… something seemed so familiar to her.

"That… is not that the mark on my face? The same mark you chastised me for having?" Zelda asked, looking at Ricando quizzically. He was staring at the staff with a strange fondness.

"Yes… you are right about that assessment, Princess. These emblems are of the crescent moon, the same mark that Krandses' magic gave you. Truth be told, this symbol did not originate with Darkness Orb: the symbol of the crescent moon belongs to the twin brothers Charcai and Krandses. Krandses did not give up his symbol when he became associated with Darkness Orb, as it is a symbol of prestige among the clan of Gods he formerly was a member of. He wanted everyone to remember his heritage, but he also wanted that symbol to become his own—something separate from Charcai. Therefore, the emblem of Darkness Orb is not quite the same. The crescent moon, however, is a key element of its design."

 _I have seen something so similar to his staff's design… where have I seen it…?_ Zelda tried to quickly scan her brain for where she might have seen it. The realization she was looking for was just at the tip of her memory, but it was ever-so-slightly out of reach, which made her irritated.

 _This staff looks familiar to me. Why is that…?_ Zukto was mystified; why would a staff be familiar to him? He had zero experience with any kind of magic, and further, his childhood had been utterly devoid of anything fantastical; the exact opposite of his life for the last several years.

"A-anyway, you believe that the staff can help us locate those shrines? Where should we begin our search?" Zelda inquired.

Ricando, firmly gripping the staff in his right hand, closed his eyes and concentrated. A large glyph appeared underneath of him, shining brightly. Suddenly, the glyph began to extend all the way across the room! Everyone, equally surprised by this display, looked down at the floor: something began to sketch itself out on the floor.

"I am projecting a map of Charcai from my mind onto the floor." Ricando explained. In a few moments, the map seemed to be complete. Ricando walked over to a specific spot on the floor and stood there, looking at everyone expectantly. Zelda, Zukto, Link, Lanai, and Thalian all joined him, not sure what to expect.

"This spot that I have brought you to, on my map, is our current location within the Forest of the Ancients." To emphasize his point, Ricando tapped a small, glowing orb on the floor that seemed to be a marker that revealed their current location. He then lightly traced a path from the orb to the surrounding forest.

"The closest shrine is actually in a place we have already ventured to: Mount Samekh."


	23. Extra Chapter: Ascension Day

Author's Note: This chapter does not flow with the other chapters; this is a "break" from the action of the story so you can finally see how Zelda ended up with her trademark 'scar!' I did not want this chapter to be part of the prologue because it touches on some important story elements that I did not want to "reveal" or focus on towards the beginning of my story.

By the way, the events of this chapter take place just a couple of months before she starts her journey with Zukto and Kyoshiro.

Zelda's eyes finally peeled themselves away from a book she had been carefully reading as she heard the crowing of cuccos from outside. She stole a quick glance out the window: the weather appeared glum, but it was certainly past sunrise at this point.

 _So, everyone else will be up now…_

She felt tired, as always, since sleeping was constantly a struggle for her. For some reason, the young woman also felt on edge. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she could not discern what was making her feel so guarded.

 _I suppose I should meet up with Master Impa to see if she has any work for me today._

Zelda quietly put her book away and quickly got changed into her Sheikah garb. She anticipated having to leave town, so she wanted to be prepared. Though she still felt uneasy about something, it felt inappropriate for her to remain idle for the sake of a temporary uneasiness. Zelda was always that way: her mind was always active, and she pushed herself to always engage in an activity that would hone one of her many skills. Her abilities had grown considerably in the last ten years, but no amount of progress seemed to be good enough for her.

Lost in her own thoughts, Zelda was moving about the room without really registering what she was doing. For some reason, when she passed by a mirror, a desire overcame her to take pause and study herself. Her long, blonde hair cascaded from the crown of her head; remembering that Master Impa always kept her hair tucked out of the way, Zelda spent a moment to braid her own hair. She left a chunk of it unbraided and allowed it to fall in front of her face, just like her teacher's hair always looked.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she briefly pretended that she was looking at a younger Impa: besides the fact that Impa was not related to her in any traditional sense, Zelda completely considered the woman as a motherly figure. After all, the woman who originally raised Zelda was no longer among the living… a pang of loneliness pricked at her heart, but she tried to maintain her usual countenance of indifference.

 _Lillia… mom… ugh, I cannot believe it has been ten years now since… since you were taken from me… I am grateful for Master Impa, I really am, but there is nothing in this world that can fill the hole in my heart that you filled. I used to think that maybe I would get over it in time, but it seems that this wound is just too serious for time to heal. Master Impa tells me that I am just clinging to the past as an excuse to avoid the people in my life now… well, I cannot exactly say that she is wrong._

 _I hate them, mom; I hate them. Can you blame me? I hate my 'actual' parents, the ones who abandoned me. They abandoned me for fifteen long years… and then acted like we were some great family when they finally revealed themselves to me. How selfish, how arrogant, how oblivious do you have to be to believe that a child who was raised by one set of parents would suddenly accept the fact that she had been lied to for so long? Everyone lied to me… even you did, mom._

 _But I have to forgive you, because you had no choice but to lie. The King told you to lie to me, after all. I bet you were mad at yourself the entire time, knowing this secret about my life… knowing who I really was, knowing what I was always destined to become. You knew that your beloved daughter was actually the Princess, Zelda, the first born child of His Majesty, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II. Despite knowing the truth of my identity, you loved me as earnestly as if I was your own flesh and blood. What I would not give right now to have you here by my side again… I have not known love as pure and sincere as yours since the day that your life was taken from you. It is as if the world is so much darker just because you are no longer here… mom, can you hear me? I miss you, mom, and I have not been the same since that day. Can you blame me?_

 _I wish I had never been born as Princess Zelda. Why did it have to be me? That is the question that I ask myself every single day, ever since I found out who I really was. I was just fine with my old life, the life of Azera. I was a simple peasant girl who lived with her mother Lillia and her father Torgaz. I liked our quiet life in Kakariko Village. It is true what they say: ignorance is bliss. I wish I was still ignorant of my identity, of the identity of my 'other family.' Where were they anyway when you were taken from me, mom? Where were they while I suffered in silence at the young age of ten? I know where they were… they were living comfortably in that annoyingly ostentatious castle in the capital. They will never understand what it is like to live like we did, mom… they have never had to suffer like us commoners do…_

 _Damn them for taking that from me; now, I understand I was even an outsider to the only identity I had during my childhood. When I was younger, the children all played with me. Ever since you left us, mom, no one in the village wants anything to do with me. They are unaware of my true identity: they still think of me as your daughter, but they all talk about me behind my back in hushed whispers. They believe me some kind of ill omen. So now I am an outcast in this village, and I am an outcast of the Royal Family. I have no place, no matter where I go or what I do. Can you blame me for hating everything?_

Zelda looked at the mirror again, staring at her eyes. She could see that her insomnia was catching up to her again, but there was little she could do about it.

 _I am in pain, mom… I have to be honest with you. You could see through me anyway if I tried to lie to you, so I see little point in trying. Honestly, my pain is the only thing keeping me going. I may be an outcast, but that is precisely why I am the perfect person to train under the Sage of Shadow. My very existence is shrouded in shadow: no one knows that I exist. 'Zelda' has been erased from all official records. On occasion, some older people in the capital might gossip about the first born daughter of the King who mysteriously vanished so many years ago… but almost no one believes that I ever existed in the first place. I cannot blame them._

 _And so, while I am with Master Impa, I do not consider myself to be Zelda, Princess of the Hylians. Instead, I am a nameless Sheikah. I would gladly serve with Master Impa for the rest of my days… she is the only person who means anything to me anymore. If I cannot be with you, mom, then… she is the only other one who I can trust. But even though I trust her, she cannot become you._

 _I trust her with my life, but even still I cannot open up my heart to her. It is as if my heart has no room in it for other people now… I would not need anyone else if you were still here, mom… I promise that I will visit you later today. Today is an important day, as you know. Days like today should be spent with the ones you love. Wait for me, okay, mom?_

With that, Zelda went looking for Impa, the matriarch of Kakariko Village. The Hylian found her Sheikah master kneeling in front of a small shrine in the house they shared. The older woman was deep in thought, likely praying. Zelda quietly waited for her teacher to stir, mildly curious about what her master would be praying for. Finally, the woman slowly rose.

"Princess Zelda. Good morning, my student." The white-haired woman gently smiled at the Hylian.

"Good morning, Master. Do you have any assignments for me today? I am already ready to go, as you can see."

"Assignments…? No, my student. I thought we already discussed this: today, you are to meet with your Father in the capital. Today is Ascension Day, after all. He will give a public address as he always does, and then the Temple of Time will be opened for a special sermon. You are to attend both the public address and the sermon, as is fitting someone of your status. Afterwards, your Father is expecting you at the Palace. How can he celebrate your birthday if you will not return home?" Master Impa sternly reminded her student. Zelda dropped her gaze, clearly not excited about the idea.

"I want to stay with you." Zelda responded.

"You stay with me all the time, Princess. Today, I am ordering you as your teacher to see your Father. Your younger sister would like to see you, as well."

"I guess… fine, whatever; I just have to show up right? Can I come back here afterwards?"

"Would you really be so rude to your Father? It may be your birthday, but you are being quite selfish."

"You know how I feel about them, about him! You think I can just snap my fingers and everything will be glossed over nicely? With all due respect Master, that man is no more my Father than you are the Sage of Spirit. My father is… is buried… in the Graveyard…" Zelda's eyes welled up a bit, the tears stinging. She turned away from Impa, feeling miserable.

"My student, I understand that you still suffer because of your memories of the day that your foster parents were murdered. No one can blame you for being tormented by such an awful memory. However, that event happened precisely ten years ago: you are now twice the age you were when they left this world. You have grown much in that time, but your refusal to let go of the past can be used against you: it makes you vulnerable."

"Vulnerable? To what? No one even knows who I am! I walk around the capital as an utter stranger to everyone who lives there." Zelda retorted.

"My student… more people know about you than you realize. I actually… have been looking into a matter which is very personal to you. I found out the truth… about who murdered your foster parents." Impa suddenly said, looking grave. Zelda, without missing a beat, turned back around to face her Master. Her heart was pounding in her chest violently.

"You… you what?! Master Impa, you actually… well, who did it?!" Zelda pressed her teacher, her mind racing just as fast as her heart was. The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood up.

"… I did not know at first if I should tell you, but I suppose you deserve to know. Princess Zelda, the one who murdered Lillia and Torgaz was Ganondorf." Impa's grave expression had not waned.

"Ganondorf?! You mean the man from Gerudo Desert; the man who serves as a part of my father's court?!" Zelda's eyes widened in shock; she fully believed her teacher's words, and yet her mind still struggled to comprehend the implications of Impa's accusation.

"I do mean him, yes. There is no one else with such a name, is there?"

"… Okay. You want me to attend the public events in the capital, right? I believe that I will do exactly that." Zelda suddenly agreed to her teacher's original proposal, her face oddly stoic.

"Princess, swear to me that you will not talk about this with anyone. If you go around making a fuss in the capital about Ganondorf, he could easily spirit you away in the middle of the night and no one would be able to do anything about it. You said yourself that no one knows who you are, so no one would be there to stand up for you if you accuse Ganondorf of being a murderer."

"Talk about it with anyone? Hah, what kind of _coward_ do you take me for? I am not going to talk about anything with anyone… I am going to confront that _bastard_ directly. He is going to pay for what he did to me ten years ago." Without leaving the older woman any time to process what her student just said, Zelda abruptly turned on her heel and stormed out of the house.

Impa had to brace herself against the wall, her face and body paralyzed with fear.

 _Oh Gods, I knew that she always resented losing her foster parents; if I knew that she would be so rash as to meet their murderer face-to-face… merciful Gods, please, I beg you: return her to me. If she confronts Ganondorf now, she…_

Zelda's mind was racing so much that she could not remember mounting a horse and riding it out of town. It was not much longer than an hour after leaving Impa that the Princess was already crossing the drawbridge into Hyrule Castle Town. The people of the capital were as animated as always: the shopping center was a constant scene of activity and gossip, and their excitement was of course magnified because of what day it was.

The clouds that Zelda had seen outside of her window back in Kakariko were even thicker now; it seemed that the weather was going to get worse. Some people in the town square muttered about the foreboding weather, but Zelda barely cared about what it looked like outside. All she could think about was that her dear 'Father' had been working side-by-side with the very man whose hands were stained with the blood of her foster parents.

 _Ganondorf, I hope you are ready today. I know that many of the men who work with my Father are push overs, and you probably like working with people who are so spineless because it makes you feel superior to them, but I am nothing like them. I have trained myself for the past ten years, working for days to the point of exhaustion._

 _In all of that time, I have not felt more alive than I do right now. These awful memories that have haunted me for the last ten years… I have a chance finally to put an end to it all. If you can decide that my parents needed to be killed, allow me to return the favor: I cannot permit you to live any longer, knowing that it was you who ruined my life. Mom, wait for me okay? I can finally avenge your death!_

Zelda was barely cognizant of what or who was around her, so as she dismounted her horse she did not immediately take notice of a town guardsman approaching her. He began talking in a quiet voice.

"His Majesty said we should expect you. Welcome back, Your Highness, and if I may, I hope you have a wonderful time tonight. Everyone wishes you a happy birthday, Princess Zelda. I can take your horse for you to the Castle if you have business you wish to attend to first." The guardsman offered.

"Oh, y-yes, thank you, I would appreciate that." Zelda muttered as she briefly nodded at the man. She did not linger though, because she had no desire to engage in vapid conversation with anyone. She was trying to figure out the best way to get an audience with Ganondorf just the two of them, without her Father finding out about it. She did not want anyone to interfere with her objective, which of course would involve a very high-ranking member of Hyrule's ruling class.

Zelda found a café that was packed with people, presumably all waiting for the King's public address. They were all so busy gossiping and carrying on that no one really paid her any mind. She placed some big rupees on the counter and looked at the hostess expectantly.

"A glass of Chateau Romani, if you would."

"Right away." The hostess looked happy to oblige, quickly pouring the Princess a tall glass of the proprietary beverage.

Hyrule had started to engage in more active trade with its sister worlds, Termina being one of them. Zelda was always fascinated with this particular invention of a Terminian family, a beverage not unlike milk from a Lon-Lon cow. While regular Lon-Lon milk was nutritious and refreshing, Chateau Romani had an extra effect that made it highly-sought after among not only gourmands but also Royal Mages: the drink could boost one's magical capabilities.

Today of all days Zelda wanted to be sure she was in top form, so she quickly drank the brew. Not long after consuming it, she could feel the desired effect. Feeling more alert now, she left another few rupees behind as a tip for the hostess before weaving her way through the crowded establishment. As she was trying to leave, she passed a man who appeared to be middle-aged. Nothing really stood out about him, not at first glance at least, except that his clothes appeared to be very expensive. Thanks to Zelda's great hearing, she was able to pick up on his conversation even as they were headed in opposite directions.

"Business is better than ever; of course the capital's increasing wealth is thanks to me. That's why the King put me in charge of international trade, you know. I still experience a bit of resistance from the rest of his court because I am not of royal blood like the rest of those buffoons, but the King is not as much a fool as everyone else is. He can see past the meaningless titles; he can see success for what it is, even when it comes from a 'commoner.' If I keep this up, soon enough my name will be a household name." The wealthy man beamed.

"You try to make the aristocrats look bad Linebeck, but weren't you trying to marry off Tor—" One of his friends started.

"What did I tell you about bringing _him_ up?! He dragged my good name through the mud; at least in the end, my reputation as a businessman precedes me. No one ever thinks about him anymore, thank the Gods. What a miserable wretch of a son. He had everything, and then he just threw it away. I have no tolerance for those who are ungrateful. It seems the Gods did me a favor in the end anyway in regards to him. Good riddance, I say." Some of the men with him laughed.

"Yeah, both of them got what was coming to them."

"Now that's something I never want to talk about: I despise her _even more_ than I do him. What was he thinking, being seduced by such a worthless woman? He had so many other prospects. Bah. Just thinking about it puts me in a bad mood. Drinks are on me, men. I want to get a good buzz going before the King starts babbling about 'Goddesses this' and 'tradition that.' Such tripe, am I right?" There was more laughter from their direction. Zelda felt really annoyed all of a sudden as she left the café.

 _I heard that right; they said Linebeck. The rich merchant Linebeck, the one who works for my Father? I had no idea he was so insufferable. I will have to keep that in mind for later. Also, I did not realize that he had a son. I feel bad for his son, and his supposed wife. Sure, they probably can get anything they want, but I would not last a single day living with such a vulgar and arrogant man._ Just as Zelda was stepping outside, rain started to quietly fall.

 _Knowing my father, he will not cancel today's events even if the weather gets worse. This is good for me: if I recall correctly, Ganondorf attends the public address that my Father gives every year for Ascension Day. If I can just get Ganondorf's attention, even for a moment, then we can arrange a meeting away from witnesses. I have no intention of dragging anyone else into this: this is my problem and my problem alone._

Zelda drifted along with the crowd, knowing that many people would already be gathering for her Father's public appearance. In Town Square, there was a raised platform situated on the cobblestone streets. Some men were busy erecting an awning right above the platform, in anticipation of the rain.

 _Oh no, we would not want our precious noblemen to get wet. Heavens forbid._ Zelda sarcastically thought to herself, imagining some of the stuffy noblemen she sometimes saw at the Castle cowering at the sight of rain.

 _That Linebeck and his posse though, I hope they choke on their drinks. How dare they show such disrespect to our culture; they were all born here, were they not? I definitely need to remember him for when I take my Father's place: he is not to be trusted._

The weather got worse, much to everyone's dismay. Most of the people who had been out already that day were wearing cloaks, so they started to pull their hoods up to protect their heads from the storm. Zelda never left anywhere without her cloak or cape, so she was about as prepared as everyone else to sit through the rain.

More people flocked to the town square over the next hour.

 _It should be starting soon, I believe. I am glad that there seem to be so many people out here despite the weather; in this crowd, my Father will never notice me. I may be able to slip through the crowd completely undetected. I still need to figure out how to get Ganondorf's attention, though._

Soon enough, a procession came into view off in the distance, originating from the Palace. The procession was led by guardsmen, of course, but they lined up around the raised platform as Zelda's father, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II, and other members of his court ascended the short stairs to the top of the platform. The crowd had been chatting excitedly as the procession got closer, but when the King took center stage an eerie silence fell over Town Square before he even said anything. Everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath for their leader to begin his address.

Zelda was watching her father at first, but then she reminded herself that her primary reason for being here had nothing to do with him. It did not take long, of course, for the Princess to find her true target: Ganondorf stood out in so many ways. Besides the fact of being a Gerudo, he towered over everyone else. At her best estimation, Zelda figured that Ganondorf was more than seven feet tall. Naturally, he was not a scrawny man either. Everything about him was eye-catching: he wore a dark cape that was nearly as long as he was tall, his hair was set in place by a dramatic golden headdress, his skin was nearly as dark as his dark clothing and armor, and his yellow eyes gleamed.

 _I have never actually spoken to him before, the so-called leader of the tribe of people who hail from the Desert. I have naturally seen him at the Castle, but… I guess I do feel a bit uneasy about approaching this behemoth of a person all by myself. I have heard rumors about him… and almost none of them are pleasant._

 _But I have come this far, and I cannot just walk away after learning the truth. Why in Din's name would he waste his time killing two poor people who had absolutely no way to defend themselves anyway? They were not fighters or mages. It just makes no sense to me; why did he have to kill them? I must figure out that at least before I get into an altercation with him. But the matter remains… I need to somehow approach him without my Father knowing. Right now, they are standing too close together…_

Zelda intently watched Ganondorf even when her Father started his speech. A couple of minutes into it, the Princess suddenly got the feeling that Ganondorf was staring directly at her, as well. The two of them held their gazes steady; Zelda was still not entirely sure if Ganondorf was actually looking at her; after all, he was so much taller than everyone else. He could have been looking above everyone's heads for all she knew. But the longer they stayed like that, the more she felt confident that she was not imagining it: Ganondorf was not paying attention to anyone or anything except her. Zelda's heart began to race.

From Zelda's perspective, time seemed to stand still as she and Ganondorf watched each other from a distance; before she realized it, the crowd around her erupted into a cheer.

 _O-oh, did my Father's speech end already? I hardly noticed… at least he will leave, now._

Her Father turned to face Ganondorf, who finally broke his gaze away from the Princess. They talked briefly before the King started his trek back to the Castle. An entourage of guards flocked around him, while other noblemen followed closely behind. The crowd around Zelda was chatting excitedly again, but she only cared about one thing: her target, Ganondorf, took pause for a moment. He seemed to look right at her again, and then he slowly walked off. Zelda deftly maneuvered through the crowd, concerned only with catching up to him.

 _Mom, I will avenge you. Wait for me, okay?_

The rain had been consistent during her Father's speech, but Zelda only just noticed as she was chasing the Gerudo man that it was getting really windy too. She pressed a hand against the hood of her cloak, not wanting it to blow off. Off in the distance, she heard a crash of thunder.

 _What is with this stupid weather? Why did the Goddesses pick such a terrible backdrop for this year's Ascension Day? Wait a second… the weather… shit! How can I use my powers in weather like this, anyway?! It is much darker than it normally would be... Goddesses, I implore you to correct this situation as soon as possible. I am nearly upon him now, after all._

As far as Zelda could tell, Ganondorf ducked into an alleyway. Without hesitation, she charged in after him. She did not want anyone else to bother them, so at least the location would give them a moment to talk. She had just one question for him, but regardless of his answer she had a strong desire to inflict as much damage on him as she could.

She tried to ignore the unsettled feeling that was growing stronger and stronger within her as she got closer to the Gerudo man. As she turned another corner, she found him. Ganondorf was standing still, facing her directly. A wide grin spread across his face when he saw the Hylian Princess.

"I knew it: you could not keep your eyes off of me earlier." The man chuckled. He was amused by her, for some reason. Zelda's eyes narrowed.

"I am not here to exchange pleasantries, Ganondorf. We have business to tend to, you and I."

"And what business would Hyrule's precious Princess have with me, hm?" Ganondorf was clearly not taking this seriously, which annoyed Zelda.

"Okay, first off how do you know who I am?"

"My dear, I am not as stupid as you seem to think I am. Your Father has come up with a number of canards to explain who you are to the other noblemen, and somehow they seem perfectly content with whatever half-assed stories they get told. Perhaps they simply do not care one way or the other… but you and I, my dear… the Gods have spun their web of fate and cast it over us. You and I are intimately connected, and so I knew right away who you were. I have kept quiet for Daphnes' sake; causing him trouble, after all, in turn causes me trouble. I only do things that directly benefit me in some way; therefore, the secret of your identity is safe with me. At least for now."

"Honestly I do not care one way or the other if you create trouble for _that man_. What I am more concerned with is why you would kill peasants." Zelda, letting her anger get the better of her, jumped straight to the point without any finesse.

"Killing peasants? My dear, you are accusing me of murder? This is the first time we have ever spoken, and yet you think to strain our budding acquaintanceship with such an ugly proclamation."

"Do not dare feign innocence, Ganondorf; you might be able to talk your way out of trouble with the other noblemen, but I will not allow you to evade the subject with me."

"Have you ever seen me kill anyone, dearest Zelda?" Ganondorf was still smiling for some reason.

"No, but I saw your victims after you were done with them. I see them in my nightmares every night, and I see them as I am awake during the day. You killed my parents!" As soon as Zelda made the declaration, someone's voice suddenly interrupted the two of them.

"Zelda!"

When Zelda heard the voice, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

 _Shit! How did my Father find us?!_

She was nearly paralyzed to the spot, trying to think of a way to explain her way out of this.

"… Zelda. Princess Zelda. By the Gods, get it together. Your Father is nowhere near us; you heard his voice from your Gossip Stone just now, am I correct? Hurry up and answer him before he gets suspicious, you foolish girl." Ganondorf chastised the young woman, rolling his eyes.

Zelda's face turned a shade of pink as she realized that the Gerudo man was right. She fumbled in her cloak until she found the small pocket sewn on the inside of it where she always kept her Gossip Stone. She fished it out and noticed that sure enough, the stone was glowing. Her Father was trying to contact her.

"Yes, Father?" Zelda answered somewhat breathlessly.

"I hope the day has met you well, my daughter. Were you able to attend the address today? I actually could not find you in the crowd earlier, which surprised me. The weather, being what it was, apparently was not bad enough to encourage my subjects to stay indoors. At any rate, your mother, sister, and I are eagerly awaiting your return. Please do not allow yourself to get absorbed in your business at least for this one night. We would like to celebrate with you properly."

"Y-yes, I understand. I will be there later, I promise." Zelda hurriedly muttered.

"Until then, my daughter." The stone went quiet, so Zelda hastily stuffed the small stone back into her cloak. She felt a bit embarrassed, but she still needed to figure out why Ganondorf killed her parents ten years ago. Zelda faced Ganondorf again, looking expectant.

"You silly, silly girl. You just accused me of murdering your parents, and yet the man on the other end of that Gossip Stone clearly referred to you as his daughter. How can you speak to a dead man, my dear?"

"That man is _not_ my Father." Zelda practically spat.

"That man is not…? Ahahahaha, my dear, how you amuse me! You are not actually Princess Zelda, the eldest daughter of His Majesty, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II? You look an awful lot like her, you know: your golden hair, your blue eyes… I work at the Castle, you know. I have seen you many times. And I have seen those portraits hanging on the walls of Hyrule's past Princesses… you are the spitting image of all of them. There can be no mistaking who you are, my Princess. Now, let us return to the subject at hand… how can you be talking to parents who you claim I killed?" Ganondorf was speaking quite calmly, the opposite of Zelda.

"Ganondorf, cut the crap. You know for a fact that I did not grow up within the Castle walls. You know I grew up in Kakariko Village, unaware of the truth of my origins. You know I was raised by a pair of commoners, commoners who you murdered exactly ten years ago today!"

"Commoners… living in Kakariko Village… hm, you know… something like that might possibly ring a bell to me. But what are you willing to do for me in exchange for the truth, hm? You think you can just command me to tell you everything without offering me anything in return? You naïve girl; you silly girl. Have you learned nothing yet from your time in the Palace? Noblemen never offer their services for free: you have to be willing to pay up if you want something." Ganondorf's grin seemed to get wider.

"I owe you nothing, Ganondorf. _You_ are the one who took something from _me_ : you stole my parents from me. As far as I am concerned, you are the one who has to pay up. I have come to collect on that debt now." Zelda sneered.

"How presumptuous of you, my dear. But you have guts to face me by yourself, accusing me of murder to my face and then declaring that I owe you. You quite amuse me, Princess. I am afraid, however, that I no longer have time to be entertained by you today. You also have an obligation it seems to meet with your Father, who is clearly still alive. How about we return to this subject at another time?" Ganondorf offered.

"You will go nowhere, Ganondorf; that is an order, not a request." Zelda's anger was growing by the minute.

"You, ordering me around? My dear, you have no authority over me. I could make you disappear forever at any time." Ganondorf finally seemed to stop joking around.

"Fucking do it, I dare you. You have already caused me enough pain and suffering to last me a lifetime. Anything else you do to me at this point will not faze me."

"You want to bet?" Ganondorf leaned in close to Zelda, whispering ominously.

"You cannot bully me into silence, Ganondorf. You killed my parents… and I demand your life as payment for your sin!" Without sparing another moment, Zelda's hands suddenly lit up with a purple aura.

"You think you can challenge the King of the Gerudo to a fight? You even think that you stand a chance against me? Girl, just how foolish are you? Have you heard the stories about me? I'll let you in on a little secret… they're pretty much all true. I am as savage and strong as the rumors claim; perhaps even more so. This is your last chance to back off before I decide that you need to be taught some manners."

"Oh yes, you are so strong that you had to resort to killing a couple of _helpless peasants_!" Zelda retorted, feeling angrier than she had in quite some time. Just being around Ganondorf was enough to make her mad, but the fact that he was trying to dodge the subject did not help matters. His threats were falling on deaf ears, now, and he knew it.

"You can't say that I did not warn you, dear Princess. You will regret provoking me!" Ganondorf effortlessly drew two blades simultaneously from their sheaths, brandishing them before him. Zelda assumed a defensive stance, but then stopped to think about their current situation. They were in an alleyway that was barely large enough for Ganondorf to fit in; how would they be able to fight like this? Ganondorf seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he suddenly lowered his blades.

"I nearly let my temper get the better of me. You are lucky, Zelda, that the Gods gave you this one final chance. Now go; leave me. We cannot possibly fight here, not without dragging innocent people into the fray. Neither you nor I can afford to be caught in a situation like that, am I wrong? I will turn my back to you for a moment: in that time, you need to put as much distance between us as you can muster." Ganondorf did exactly as he said, turning away from the Princess. Zelda stood there in disbelief, scarcely able to comprehend what was happening.

"You coward!" She hissed. She felt like he was patronizing her, which did not help her mood at all.

"… I show you this kindness, a bit of mercy, and that is your response? Now I no longer care whose daughter you are: I will make you pray for death when I am done with you." Ganondorf's voice was barely louder than a whisper but there was an intensity to it that made Zelda's skin crawl. With a sudden snap of his fingers, the two of them were swallowed up by a magical portal.

Within moments, Zelda found herself standing on solid rock: the King of the Gerudo had brought them to the peak of Death Mountain. The weather was even worse than it was in the capital: the rain pounded on the mountain, and the wind howled.

"You reap what you sow, you miserable child! How about I help you rejoin your precious, dead parents?!" Ganondorf growled as he once again drew both of his blades. Zelda's heart was racing a mile a minute now thanks to the adrenaline flowing through her body: she quickly fired orbs of magic from her hands towards the man. Ganondorf easily deflected them by swinging his weapons at them; they went flying somewhere behind Zelda, crashing into the mountain side.

Before giving her time to launch another attack, Ganondorf charged directly at her. In a panic, Zelda erected a magical barrier between her and the Gerudo man. The barrier did catch him by surprise: he crashed directly into it. In the moment that he was trying to recover after being stopped in his tracks, Zelda used the light of the frequent lightning flashes to discern where his shadow was. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down, Zelda extended her shadow out to meet his. She tried to restrain both of his arms, but realized that she simply did not have the power necessary to do that. At first, Ganondorf struggled against the invisible force that seemed to be controlling him with a look of confusion on his face. It only lasted for a few moments, however; when Ganondorf looked down at the ground and saw that their shadows were connected, he quickly put two and two together.

"How curious: I expected you to control Light magic like all of the other Princesses. I cannot say that I was expecting this." Ganondorf wrested one arm free from Zelda's control without much effort.

"You are too weak to control someone like me, dear; surely you should have known that. And allow me to show you yet another weakness you possess." With his free arm, Ganondorf swung his sword down at the ground in the direction of where their shadows connected. When the sword's shadow made contact with the point of intersection of their shadows, Zelda felt a sharp pain shoot through her arms. It was bad enough that it broke her concentration, and she felt the connection between them sever. She kneeled down on one knee because of the pain; she was not able to move her arms.

"Now, my dear… I have a present for you. After all, it is your twentieth birthday today, is it not? It would not be very gentlemanly of me if I were to leave you here with nothing." Ganondorf kneeled down to be more level with the Princess, being sure to give her the most malicious grin he could muster.

"Happy Birthday, _Your Highness_." He taunted, raising up his right hand in front of her and firing a spell. The spell made direct contact with her face, immediately leaving a mark on her skin. Zelda fell over onto the ground, having been knocked unconscious. Ganondorf took a careful look at where the spell hit her, noticing that the mark circling around her left eye appeared to be in the shape of a crescent moon.

"Hm, Kkladekk did not exactly explain the particulars of this spell to me. I can't say that I entirely understand how it works, but something indeed happened when I used it. I would have tested it out earlier, but I can think of no better test subject than our dear Princess." As Ganondorf stood there, listening to the deafening thunder and admiring his handiwork, something else caught his eye. Zelda's once golden hair was changing color: in moments, every hair on her head was now as black as his clothes!

"Oho, what is this? This is even more amusing than I thought it would be: she will look nothing like Hyrule's precious Princess now! What other kind of insidious effects did the spell have, I wonder? I shall thoroughly enjoy watching how this progresses. Kkladekk may be a fool, but at least he has his uses. Now, I suppose I should not leave her here. If she were to die here, that would quite spoil all of my fun." Ganondorf snapped his fingers, summoning a portal which spirited the Princess away.

"I'll dump her unconscious body at the entrance of Kakariko Village. Her fool of a teacher will tend to her; oh, how I wish I could be there when she realizes who this raven-haired girl is." Ganondorf bellowed with laughter, eager to see how Princess Zelda would deal with his 'gift.'

As expected, it did not take long for someone to notice the unconscious body left at the front gates of Kakariko Village. A couple of villagers carried Zelda's body to Impa's house, laying her out on a spare bed. Her clothes were muddy and soaked, of course, thanks to the weather. At first, Impa did not even realize what the girl was wearing.

"This girl needs medical attention; leave her to me. Thank you for bringing her to me."

Impa shooed the people away so that she could work in peace. The girl appeared to have a head wound, so Impa tended to that first. It did not seem serious, at least not in the sense that she was going to lose a lot of blood. When Impa was trying to clean the mark on the woman's face, however, she could feel an incredibly evil force.

 _My gods, is this the symbol of a curse? What could this girl have gotten involved in?_

Impa worked as quickly as she could to get the wet clothes off of the girl, and used a towel to wring out her wet hair. The entire time she worked, something nagged at the back of her mind: something felt very, very wrong. No matter how much she focused on helping her patient, the feeling would not dissipate.

She stole a glance at the heap of wet clothes for some reason; her heart nearly stopped when she realized that the hood she had taken off the woman had a very familiar symbol on it: the red eye of the Sheikah clan stared back at her defiantly.

"… Oh merciful Gods, don't tell me…" Impa turned back to look at the girl. Every fiber of her being wanted to deny the fact that the woman lying there was Zelda, but she did not know anyone else who dressed that way.

"… Damn it! Damn it all! This is entirely my fault… Zelda, my child… I dare not even beg for your forgiveness. Nothing I could ever do… will ever make up for this. He did this, didn't he? Oh Goddesses, I shall accept full responsibility for this: punish me as you see fit." Impa buried her face in her hands, overcome with grief.

It was apparent to her that Zelda found Ganondorf, confronted him, and ultimately was going to pay the price for standing against him. Ganondorf was incredibly prideful, and not one to easily forgive slights. Impa had no idea how bad the 'curse' actually was, but she could tell that it was not going to be a mere temporary inconvenience. No, whatever Ganondorf did to Princess Zelda would impact her life in ways the Sage could scarcely imagine.

"Goddesses, I sincerely hope that this was part of your plan… please, we will need your guidance now more than ever."

Zelda did not move for days after being brought to Impa. When she finally did stir, Impa's feelings of relief were quickly replaced with dread when she locked eyes with the Princess for the first time since Ascension Day: her once blue eyes were now as red as Ganondorf's hair, and there was a viciousness hidden within them that Impa had never seen before. She tried her best to remain outwardly disinterested in her student's newfound appearance, as for some reason the Princess acted completely unfazed by it. It was almost as if Zelda had no memory of what she once looked like…


	24. The Goddesses Issue a New Challenge

"Ruellian." Kkladekk started as he approached his subordinate, who was mournfully sitting next to someone who was resting. She looked up from the sleeping person with a start, not having noticed anyone else's presence.

"You need not look so upset. I know that Shaikh Ethe's wounds were bad, but when have I let you down? He's through the worst of it, already. Just give him a little time, and I promise you that he will fully recover."

"Y-yes Master Kkladekk. I, of course, have full confidence in your abilities. I just hate to see him like this…"

"Yes, I understand what you mean. I will accept responsibility for this; had I only arrived faster, we would have stopped the Princess' mischief before it got out of hand."

"I do not understand something, though: how did they even track us down?" Ruellian looked worried.

"I was wondering that myself. Luckily, we no longer have to wonder. Come. Kyoshiro is resting… so now is the perfect opportunity for you to dive into his body and observe his memories."

"Ah, yes, that's perfect. You can count on me, Master."

"I know I can. You've served me well for the past twenty years, after all."

"And I'll still be by your side in twenty more years."

"That you will. After all, you would not be with us right now if it wasn't for me. I guess I have a knack for taking in outcasts." Kkladekk chuckled a bit.

 _Or… do you have a penchant for creating outcasts?_ Ruellian suddenly thought to herself. She was surprised by the thought though, as if someone else had placed the thought into her mind.

The two left Shaikh Ethe so they could find Kyoshiro. At first they walked together quietly.

 _I am not really sure why I thought what I did earlier… I mean sure, there are definitely things that happened specifically because of him. He made me, according to his explanations. And pretty much everything that the dear 'Princess' has dealt with up until now has been because of Master. But I feel like some of our other allies just happened to find us when their lives were especially trying. Like for Shaikh Ethe… he always talks about how the Hylian Royal Family has blood on its hands, and how he is glad to have a way to oppose them. I don't think Master was directly involved in any of that. But then again, how do we know for sure? Master never talks about himself._ Ruellian stole a quick glance over at Kkladekk, who seemed to be focused on something else.

 _It is because he always keeps us at an arm's distance that I have not been able to work up the courage to ask him about me. He says that he brought me into this world, but how? And for what purpose? Surely whatever role I am playing could be played by someone else? Or is there something different about me, something that made Master Kkladekk want me specifically? Whenever I have time to rest, my mind inevitably wanders to these thoughts… but is it ungrateful of me to want to know the answers?_

It did not take long for Kkladekk to quietly open a door and usher Ruellian inside. As expected, Kyoshiro was soundly sleeping in a bed.

"Alright Ruellian. I know that your powers are not fully developed, but please return once you have gleaned as much information from his memories as you can. Specifically, I want to know what Kyoshiro and the others were doing on Mount Samekh. That was where you found them, right?" Kkladekk spoke quietly, so as not to disturb Kyoshiro.

"Yes Master, we fought partway up Mount Samekh."

"There must be a reason why they traveled up that mountain. Try to discern as much as you can."

"Yes, Sir." Ruellian sat down in a chair next to Kyoshiro's bed and began muttering to herself. Within moments, her body duplicated itself. Her real body remained in the bedside chair, while her secondary body became spirit-like right before it dove into Kyoshiro's body.

While the spirit-like part of her was within Kyoshiro's mind, Ruellian's real body was motionless. Kkladekk watched her intently, hoping to get good news soon. After a few minutes, her secondary body reappeared in the room. It quickly rejoined with Ruellian's real body, which seemed to rouse the girl from her trance-like state.

"M-Master! I saw some really interesting things just now!" Ruellian seemed a bit flustered for some reason.

"Come, let us speak about it in a more private room." Kkladekk led the way again, bringing them to a lounge-like room.

"If you would, Ruellian, tell me what it was that you saw."

"Of course, Master. At first I was quite confused, because I thought that Mount Samekh had nothing but wild animals living up there. I was right about that, but it appears that your brother and the others deliberately went there to meet with some wolves."

"Wolves? Whatever for?" Kkladekk looked mystified.

"I could not see everything, because the group did not stay together. It appears that the swordsman in green entered a cavern by himself, and then brought a wolf out with him. I could not really understand how, but it seems that the heroes were able to converse with the wolf. And the wolf went back down the mountain with them. In fact, it was this wolf who helped Zukto and the others locate us."

"… Oh, so this wolf led them to us? I don't think that wolf you saw was your run-of-the-mill mutt. This is something we will need to address with haste: if this wolf is so willing to prowl around as it pleases, it surely will not mind if we return the favor.

Ruellian, I want you and Kyoshiro to return to Mount Samekh in the morning to pay our lupine friends a visit. I want you to cause trouble, enough to serve as a warning: particularly, I think we should lay claim to that domain. You understand what I am asking, I presume."

"Of course, Master. Kyoshiro and I will handle it." Ruellian nodded.

"Good. I hope to hear good news." With that, Kkladekk excused himself.

"… Why is he sending me out with that annoying kid? I know, I am technically younger than him… but he still does not seem like he is much of an adult to me. Master Kkladekk is much more mature than him; that is for sure. Maybe Master should've raised that kid from the very beginning… oh well. It's not like we had been keeping tabs or anything on him. As far as I understand it, Master just happened to find the kid after he got viciously mauled by a Wolfos. The kid was on death's door, until… Kyoshiro must have some impressive luck, being attacked when Master was so close by. Kyoshiro owes Master a great debt, so I can see why Master would want to put him to work.

Even still, I wish that Master would send Kyoshiro out with someone else. What about Volga? Both of them are oddly quiet at times and yet really full of themselves. Maybe Master is worried that they would butt heads too much, since they both seem to have a tendency to show off.

Sometimes I wonder about why Master gathered all of us… are we really the best warriors out there? We seem too different… can a 'team' like ours really support Master? So far, we have done a lot of work for him… but everyone seems to want to do their own thing. It was a relief for me honestly when Shaikh Ethe joined up with us, because he seemed more willing than anyone else to spend time with me. That's why… seeing him in pain like that really gets to me. The Princess will pay for what she did to him…!

I wonder what exactly happened anyway before Master and I met up with them. I suppose I would need to access Zukto's memories… or the Princess'. At any rate, I can't wait to show that Princess a taste of her own medicine. My powers are still developing, so I think I have a shot at overpowering her in due time. For now, though… I suppose I need to go back to that mountain. Before I do that, though…" Ruellian got up from the chair she had been sitting in and quietly made her way back to where Kyoshiro was sleeping.

Something in the back of her mind was nagging at her, like the voice in her head knew that that there was some secret she still had to discover. She hesitated for a moment, but figured that no harm could come of it; Ruellian once again entered Kyoshiro's memories, this time to observe what happened between Kyoshiro and Zukto's group after she had taken Shaikh Ethe to safety.

When Ruellian sent her mind into Kyoshiro's memories, she watched the events as if she herself was actually Kyoshiro. She taunted Zukto and the Princess, who seemed a bit on edge now that they were opposing their 'friend.' The Princess made the first move, attempting to bind Kyoshiro with her powers. Kyoshiro was able to resist her, using her own power against her to throw her off balance. As Ruellian watched the Princess fall to the ground, she was surprised to see that the cloaked person from Kyoshiro's memories was not the Princess they had been ordered to follow: the woman who stood up and glared at Kyoshiro had blonde hair, not black hair.

Ruellian could not maintain the use of her powers anymore, so she returned to her body. For a few moments she stood quietly by Kyoshiro's side, trying to figure out the meaning of what she just saw.

 _Th—the girl who hurt Shaikh Ethe… was not the Princess? But Zukto's group only had one woman, I thought? Where did this one come from? Where was the Princess if not with Kkladekk's brother? Wait a second… then when I attacked them back on Mount Samekh, was I actually fighting that blonde girl the entire time?! I have no idea what her connection is to the Princess or to Zukto, but I don't really even care about that. All I know is… she will pay dearly for endangering Shaikh Ethe!_

Ruellian hastily left the room where Kyoshiro was still soundly sleeping, her mind racing. She needed to do whatever it would take to defeat that golden-haired sorceress. The voice in the back of her mind reminded her that Kkladekk gave her orders, but right now she had absolutely no interest in a mountain inhabited by wolves. She would still go, as Kkladekk would not take kindly to such disobedience, but her only thought was to interrogate that stupid mongrel until it told her what Zukto's group's next objective was.

Kyoshiro finally stirred after several hours. He blearily blinked, eyes still adjusting to the light that was streaming in through a nearby window.

 _Where am I?_

Kyoshiro looked around the room and felt like he had no sense of time despite seeing the rays of sunlight lighting up the floor.

 _How long was I asleep for, anyway?_

The Hylian male eased himself out of bed and began to get dressed, figuring that someone would have work ready for him; that's how life was as a bounty hunter, after all.

For a brief moment, he looked down at the ring on his right hand.

 _Take off the ring._

"What?! Who's there?!" Kyoshiro, without missing a beat, rushed to his sword and drew it from its sheathe in one fluid motion. He stood in the center of the room, hurriedly looking around for the voice's owner. As far as he could see, he was alone in the room.

After standing there in a defensive position for several minutes and not finding anything suspicious, Kyoshiro slowly slid his longsword back into its sheathe. His heart was still racing a bit, though, and he felt nervous. He was pretty sure that he had not imagined that voice, but he had no proof that anyone had ever been in the room with him. Trying to ignore how strange that situation had been, Kyoshiro left to go find the Warden.

 _What day of the week is it? Why do I feel so out of sorts, like I am missing something? Have I been out of it for a while? My memory is so fucked up for some reason… what was I doing before?_ Kyoshiro furrowed his brow, trying to concentrate. All he could remember distinctly, however, was fighting that woman with the golden hair…

 _I could not be imagining it: that woman, for just a moment, had power that felt exactly like Ganondorf's. How could that be? I must face her again. The only problem, of course, is that I have no idea where she might be… I'll just have to keep my eyes and ears open I guess while I'm doing whatever random assignments Master gives me._

Kyoshiro entered the lobby of the BH, staring straight ahead with somewhat of a vapid expression on his face.

"Ah, Kyoshiro! Finally up I see. Y'know, you really gave me a start when you up and disappeared." An older man declared as he slowly approached the swordsman. The voice was familiar to Kyoshiro, so he turned to look at who was talking to him.

"Oh, Warden, you're here."

"O'course I'm here. Someone's gotta keep you troublemakers in line, yeah?"

For some reason, the conversation felt familiar to Kyoshiro; he did not say anything though.

"Trouble? You must be talking about those other layabouts. You know me, I got no problem earning my keep."

"Aye, aye, I can always count on you. So what were you doin' anyway, my boy? That isn't like you to just up and disappear without a warning like that."

"Well, uh, you know, it's the weirdest thing… I can't remember what I did a few days ago. Or remember ever leaving for that matter. How long was I gone?" Kyoshiro looked perplexed.

The Warden looked at Kyoshiro with a bemused expression for a moment, but he started laughing heartily.

"Gods bless you, Kyoshiro. I know how strong you are, so I don't really see a need to worry. You took care of yourself like you always do. After all, you came back to us. Didya get something to eat? We can talk about work after that."

"Right." Kyoshiro absentmindedly walked out the front door, not even sure where he would stop for food. He wanted to think about what he had been doing before meeting the blonde-haired woman, but no matter how much he tried his mind offered no revelations or insights. It was as if his memories did not exist at all for a very specific amount of time: it was disconcerting, to say the least.

The swordsman silently made his way into town, passing by throngs of people. Nothing happening around him could rouse him from his current apathetic state, nothing except…

There was a woman with brilliant, blonde hair. The hair made Kyoshiro double-take; he got a quick glance of her face, and could swear that it was the exact same woman he fought with before. She was walking alone, smiling to herself. Without thinking, Kyoshiro changed course and began to follow her. He made sure to keep enough distance between them so as to not make her nervous.

The woman entered the Temple of Time. Kyoshiro purposely held back for a few minutes, to allow her to focus her attention on whatever business she had in the old temple.

 _Isn't that place practically deserted? Perfect. I can just follow her inside and…_

Kyoshiro tried to be as quiet as possible while slipping through the front door. When the door was shut, he turned his attention to the grand sanctum before him: to his consternation, he found it completely barren as always.

 _Wh-where did she go?! How did could she enter this place and leave so quickly without me noticing? She is no ordinary person, that's for sure… I guess I will have to concede for now, but I am nothing if not determined. I will find you eventually._ Kyoshiro decided to leave the deserted temple, not realizing that there was a separate portion of the temple he had not checked…

"I was not imagining that, right? There was a guy following me. I was too worried to get a good look at him, but hopefully that's the last I'll see of him." The young woman muttered to herself as she quickly ran down the very same hall that Zukto and his friends had stumbled upon at the beginning of their journey. The Hylian did not stop until she reached the statue of the Goddesses, under which Goddess Din was standing by herself.

"I thought you agreed to only meet Us at night. Will you be missed at home? And did you realize that someone was following you here?" Goddess Din seemed a bit impatient, a detail that her guest did not miss.

"Goddess Din, you say that someone followed me but I do not see anyone else here with us."

"Dear, he did enter the Temple looking for you."

"Good thing I snuck in here before he saw me then."

"No, Azera, you do not get it. That man knows you." Goddess Din sighed, looking at Zelda's sister with an expression that said 'you are hopeless.'

"O-oh, he knows me? Well he knows my child-like self, I suppose. There is no way he knows that I am that same girl." Azera pointed out.

"Certainly your form now would confuse them. Most people do not change as quickly as you can."

"So it's not a problem, right? Can we get back to training?" Azera did not really seem bothered by the exchange with Goddess Din. The Goddess sighed deeply.

"Azera, do you not have family to be with? They will certainly worry about you."

"I do have family to be with! Tell me where Zelda is: that is who I care about more than anyone else!" Azera looked insistent.

"You only just awoke to your powers; how could We let you venture out on your own?"

"I can handle myself, right? If I have part of your powers, I will be fine."

"You underestimate what kind of challenges you will encounter out in the real world… the life you have been living up until recently has been quite unlike the life your sister has lived."

"I… I know that there is still a lot I need to learn. I know that most people might see me as some spoiled, sheltered kid. But I know my sister is fighting out there. For her sake, I will venture outside of the protective cloister that my parents made for us. You said what my sister is doing is dangerous, right? Then she needs all the help she can get."

"I can see that you are not one for caution. I suppose if I cannot reason with you about this, I will issue you a challenge instead."

"A challenge? That sounds interesting."

"The challenge has multiple parts to it. The first part of the challenge will be survival: will you be able to survive in a foreign world by yourself with no contact with anyone from Hyrule? The second challenge is combat-related: will you be able to defend yourself from thieves, monsters, and anyone else who might desire to hurt you? The final challenge will be for your communication skills: will you be able to navigate the complex social rules of mortals?

If you can successfully complete those three challenges, then you will no doubt find Princess Zelda and you will most certainly be strong enough to no longer require my guidance. What do you think, my child?"

"A foreign land? Where are you sending me, Goddess Din?"

"We shall open a portal to the land of Charcai. Let Us warn you, however, that the portal only serves as a temporary connection from Hyrule to there. Once you arrive, We cannot bring you back here. We said the exact same thing to Zelda when she asked Us to send her there. If you want to return to Hyrule, you must reunite with your sister and discover a means of travel on your own. Do you still wish to go?"

"If my sister knowingly traveled there despite the risks, then I shall go too. I believe in your abilities, Goddess Din."

"Child, you do indeed possess some of Our powers. However, let me say that Our power alone is not enough. You must be vigilant, you must be strong, you must be determined. We cannot help you should you find yourself in danger. To that end, keep in mind that you have never traveled anywhere on your own before. You may find yourself worried about things you have never had to worry about before."

"I understand, Goddess Din. Please, send me to Charcai. I have never heard of that land before, admittedly, but I must find my sister. I would go anywhere, even into the lair of the King of Evil himself, if it meant that I could be by her side."

"You remember that I told you that We originally did not want Zelda to have any siblings? I can see now that Our original plan was perhaps not the best one We have ever come up with. Your sister needs you, Azera. We will pray for your success, because your success could very well be a great help to your sister. Take care of yourself out there, and We look forward to seeing you again: until your return." As soon as Din finished speaking, her sisters Farore and Nayru appeared at her side. The three of them joined hands, combining their powers to open up a gateway to Charcai. The magical portal appeared before Azera, who looked at the Golden Goddesses one final time.

"Thank you so much for everything, My Goddesses. I would not be here right now had it not been for your magnanimity. I won't waste this life that you've given me: I will find Princess Zelda and bring her back home. Not only that, but I won't rest until I become a Demi-God worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as you." Azera smiled at them before disappearing into the portal.

"…Should We have warned her that her sister is not going to trust her?" Nayru asked, looking concerned.

"That is part of the challenge I issued her: I know Zelda, and she will not readily open up to Azera right now. Zelda knows Azera only as an innocent and young child. But the woman who will appear before her in due time will not be that young child anymore.

Zelda has seen some extraordinary things on her journey to be sure, but she will not so easily accept something that goes against something that she once knew to be true. The truth is, We did not allow her to know of Azera's true nature: though the girl was born a mortal, We granted her the status of one who is greater than a mortal but lesser than a true God. In this capacity, she will be able to serve Us while remaining in the mortal realm.

All we can do now is await their return; though Zelda may not willingly accept the truth of her sister's nature when they first encounter each other, I know that Azera's pure heart will reach her sister in time."

"Did she run off, by the way, without saying anything to the King or Queen?" Nayru inquired, already sure of what the answer was going to be.

"She is just as stubborn as her older sister. That is pretty common, I think, for a younger sister to idolize an older one. I shall speak with their parents." Farore waved before disappearing with a flourish of magic.

After speaking with Lanai, Therian, and Ricando, Zukto was feeling all of the traveling they had been doing catch up with him. Zelda, very conscious of the fact that they had been on the move for essentially twenty four hours without much of a break, told him that he needed to rest. He implored her to do the same, but Zelda was afraid that she had no choice in the matter.

Zukto fell asleep almost immediately after getting into a bed. Zelda had laid down too, at least for show. Truthfully, she was feeling too anxious to sleep.

 _I hope that everyone at home is okay. I hope that Kkladekk is focusing on us, instead of them… he wants me, but what is stopping him from capturing my family in an attempt to threaten me?_

As Zelda uneasily mulled over her thoughts, Link quietly got out of bed. He noticed Zukto sleeping right away, and wondered if Zelda was also asleep. Zelda, feeling on high alert due to her anxiety, noticed the approaching footsteps coming from behind her.

"Link?" She asked the room quietly without moving.

"Princess, have you slept at all?" Link spoke softly, not wanting to bother Zukto.

"I have not. Zukto stayed up with me the rest of the night."

"Zelda, you need to rest."

"Easy for you to say… I am too nervous to sleep. Everything has happened so quickly; I am overwhelmed by all of it."

"Overwhelmed? By what?"

"While you were sleeping, Zukto and I learned a lot. His mother is the one who sent him to our world eight years ago, and she knowingly did so in the hopes that he would meet with people who knew of magic, gods, and other things of that nature.

Apparently, Charcai himself erased the knowledge of the existence of the gods from the minds of Charcai's people because he was hoping to weaken Krandses' forces. It seems that only regular people forgot about the gods, however: anybody who pledged allegiance to Krandses did not. Because almost no one here knows about the gods, Lanai wanted Zukto to learn from people who still respected their own gods.

Charcai has been asleep all this time as far as I can tell. I am not entirely sure if he still is trying to regain power; perhaps we will hear from him ourselves if we follow Ricando's advice.

Oh, yes, speaking of Ricando: he used his power to detect the location of a shrine to that is dedicated to Charcai. He advises that we seek out such shrines and restore power to them. He fears that they may be corrupted by Krandses' power. The first one we can visit is on Mount Samekh, the mountain we climbed to meet with those wolves."

"Wow, you guys certainly did learn a lot. But even so, you were traveling to strange lands even before I met up with you. What is so different now?"

"…Link, I hate to be blunt but you really do not know that much about me." Zelda sighed, looking amused nonetheless. She was still not looking at him.

"I-I beg your pardon?" Link looked taken aback.

"Look, you seem to be missing a key point about me. I am _always_ anxious. I just hide it well sometimes, I guess. Everything stresses me out, everything worries me. People worry me especially, because the same person who can be your friend one minute very well could betray you the next.

Perhaps if you are discerning, you can anticipate the betrayal before it happens. But you cannot anticipate everything. Someone who you have never met before might decide that they want to take something away from you. People are so impulsive, so selfish, so cruel. And yet, I must lead an entire country of them… it is enough to drive one mad."

"So you… you do not actually want to be Hyrule's Queen then?" Link's face lit up with stunned realization.

"Absolutely not. I was raised as a simple peasant girl. The only difference I suppose between my life and the life of other peasant girls is that my foster parents allowed me to spent extra time on studying. I taught myself basic arithmetic, for example.

I lived for fifteen years thinking that I would live in Kakariko Village for the rest of my days, and the thought did not even bother me. I was content to be in that town with Master Impa… but I guess it is true what they say: nothing lasts forever. Impa arranged for me to meet with my birth father, and the illusion of my quiet life in the village was shattered beyond repair.

Life in the Castle is nothing like my old life in the village. If you want a very specific example of how cruel people can be, you need not look any further than the group of people that surrounds Hyrule's Royal Family. Answer me this: why is the man who placed this godforsaken curse upon me and killed my foster parents in cold blood still an esteemed member of the Royal Family's court?" Zelda asked quietly. Link was speechless.

Zelda did not expect any kind of a response; she just wanted Link to think about the position she was in. While she let the silence continue, Zelda finally sat up and looked Link in the eyes.

"I would rather die than have to work with that _monster._ "

"Princess, there is no need to be so rash. We can stop him, together. It is our destiny to do so, right?" Link finally shook himself out of his stupor.

"Destiny or no, I will kill Ganondorf or die trying. I would happily defy the Gods themselves to accomplish this mission: I will not allow anyone to stop me or get in my way. Ganondorf will fall by my hands."

"I suppose I cannot blame you for feeling that way. But please remember… Ganondorf is too powerful for any one of us to stop on our own. One-on-one, he has always been able to best our ancestors. It is only through cooperation that anyone was able to defeat him."

"My ancestors did not have as much Power as I do, though." Zelda stated pointedly.

"Wh-what do you mean by that…?"

"…It happened back when we were trying to stop Kyoshiro. When Goddess Hylia activated the Triforce of Wisdom to use its power, the Triforce of Power activated at exactly the same time."

"Y-you cannot be serious! How in Hylia's name could that even happen?!" Link's voice got slightly louder.

"Link, we should not wake Zukto. If you are going to talk loudly, I guess we should move somewhere else."

Zelda made to leave the room without saying anything further. Link quickly followed after her, concern deeply etched into his face.

"You can use the Triforce of Power? But how?"

"How? It does not seem so surprising to me: after all, Demise, is now a part of me." Zelda looked indifferent.

"Well, yes, we knew that but… this would make you perhaps one of the most powerful people in all of Hyrule if you could actually control your powers."

"Yes, that is the problem here: I have no control over Demise, or Hylia for that matter. The only thing going in my favor right now is that Hylia and Demise are at odds with one another; Hylia will always at least try to stop Demise from doing anything too crazy. Even so… I can hardly stand to have the soul of one extra person inside of my head, let alone the souls of two of Hyrule's most powerful gods who also happen to hate each other. They both have their own agendas, and I am just their pawn.

How I wish I could learn some kind of mastery over Hyrule's most ancient magic… if I was stronger, could I control or at least exert my own will over the wills of these ancient beings inside of me? I am tired of being a slave to them." Zelda looked morose.

"Hylia wants to cooperate with you, doesn't she? I did not get the sense that she is only using you."

"Hah. Hylia is mad at me because I will not acquiesce. God or no, she never asked me if I wanted to be the heir to the curse of the Royal Family. I am tired of being told what to do, so I will not quietly agree to whatever her wishes may be. If she is living inside of _my_ body, she needs to know who is in charge."

"Wait a second, Princess, did you say _curse of the Royal Family_? What do you mean by that exactly?"

"The Royal Family's curse is exactly what it sounds like: the women of my family are all born with the 'sacred duty' of bearing Hylia's power and responsibilities. How irresponsible can you be, anyway? Hylia was unsuccessful at stopping Demise ages ago, and yet she thinks that a mortal girl will somehow be enough to do what she could not? I think it is a curse for unsuspecting girls to bear the regrets of a woman who was once the protector of all Hylians.

Honestly, I cannot understand why more stories have not been passed down of princesses who balked at this immense burden. How is it that the other princesses all accepted this duty without question? Perhaps they simply felt the need to keep quiet about their reservations or hesitation. But me, I am not beholden to Goddess Hylia. I feel no need to keep quiet on her behalf. I accept the fact that we Hylians must serve our Gods, but I only want to serve on _my_ terms."

"So what is it that you wish to do?" Link asked, surprised at how candid Zelda was being.

"I have not figured out all of the details yet. But there has to be something that I can do, that only I can do. I will find out what it is, and that is the cause that will receive the bulk of my attention after I secure a peace for my people."

"You are the only one who can ascend to the throne." Link pointed out.

"Wrong. Did you forget about my younger sister Azera? I am being serious when I say that I would much rather that she take up that mantle instead of me. After all, no one knows I exist. Can you imagine the chaos that will result when my parents finally reveal my existence to the Kingdom? No one will trust me, I can guarantee that much. Heh, especially considering…" Zelda's gaze fell.

"Hey, you are not in this alone. We're all here with you no matter what kind of challenge we're up against."

"… Can you convince an entire Kingdom that I am the legitimate daughter of the King of Hyrule? Honestly, I do not even know how my father intends to do it given everything that has happened. This is why I believe Azera is the better choice to lead Hyrule… everyone already adores her, and they would willingly support her when she came of age.

Me, I am much more suited to living in the shadow of the Royal Family. That is what it means to be a Sheikah: you must quietly serve the Royal Family from the shadows. That feels so much more natural to me than taking up the throne.

While I was growing up, I never imagined myself as someone who would be thrust right into the public eye. In fact, instead of imagining that I was a princess like other girls did… I always used to imagine that I could be the princess' friend. Hah, if only I knew back then how much a fool I was…"

"Zelda… I have to thank you. You were right earlier when you pointed out that I did not understand you. I can see plainly now that you silently struggle with many heavy burdens, and that is why you tend to keep your distance. I appreciate your candor. You may not accept it for now, but I feel like leading Hyrule will ultimately be a task left to you. I will gladly lend you whatever aid I can in that endeavor when the time comes."

"Thanks, I guess… maybe I should never go back home." Zelda quietly muttered the last part to herself. Link heard it thanks to his excellent hearing, but he tried not to react in an obvious way.

 _Up until this moment, I never realized how I take my freedom for granted. But seeing Zelda like this… her life has been plagued with hardship from its inception, and she feels trapped no matter what she does. I hope I can figure out a way to be of some comfort to her, because… because I want her to finally know happiness after so many years of suffering. Has she ever been truly happy? Certainly the notion must have been hard for her ever since she lost her foster parents._

"… I just hope my family is okay." Zelda said after a few moments of silence.

"Of course they are. Gods willing, everyone will be safe."

"But not all gods wish for the same thing! Krandses is a God, is he not? He could easily take advantage of the fact that I am stuck in his world, and, and…" Zelda looked panicked.

"Hey, hey, everything's gonna be okay." Link made to reach for Zelda, to try to touch her reassuringly, but Zelda abruptly turned to face him. Her expression was pained.

"If anything happens to Azera, I will never forgive myself! I need to protect her! There is no hope for me, since I am forced to bear the burden my ancestors placed upon me, but Azera is free from all of that. I never want her to suffer like I have. My childhood was ruined, but there is no reason that her life needs to be as painful as mine. Please, Goddesses, keep her safe…" Zelda looked absolutely drained.

"We will all protect her. It is our duty, after all, since you are both our Princesses."

"Hmph, what is so great about doing something because you are forced to? Would it not be better to do something because you freely chose it?"

"Choosing to do something is all well and good, but the Gods understand the world much better than I do. They see everything, while I only see a tiny fraction of what there is. I trust their judgment, and I take pride in serving them in the way they have need of my powers. That's how I see it." Link explained calmly. Zelda took pause here.

"I suppose that yes, thinking that I know better than the Gods themselves simply makes me look arrogant… but even still, we must be willing to question those who supposedly 'have power' over us. If we had no right to question those who guide us, then that means Krandses is the rightful master of Charcai. He is the one who supposedly created the mortals of Charcai, after all.

But his people overwhelmingly chose Charcai over their own creator. That means that the Gods are not infallible: if he could not eternally exert his will over them to make them obedient, that means his will is not absolute. If his will is not absolute, then what makes him much different from a human?"

"You certainly have an excellent point, Princess… heh, you talk as if you would be happier to be the Royal Family's dagger, but actually, that is simply not true. You are a scholar, a philosopher. You know how to fight, and you fight when you must, but your mind is truly your greatest gift." Link marveled. Zelda looked taken aback for a moment.

 _No one has ever said that to me before… Master Impa of course would tell me that I was doing great with my studies, but… no one ever told me that my mind was a great gift._

"That honestly is something I have never heard before. Thank you, Link." Zelda smiled slightly.

"Anytime, Princess. I have no problem admitting that you are much wiser than I ever will be."

"Do not give me too much credit, now. There are different kinds of knowledge you know. You probably know more about survival stuff than I do since you lived in the middle of the woods for so long."

"Such knowledge does not serve everyone equally, though. For example, I see little need for someone like you to know how to skin an animal. You can just leave something like that to me: I do not mind doing it."

"I suppose you are right about that. But speaking of your life in the woods, how long has it been since you last saw your grandfather? He must be worried about you, since you have been with us for a while now."

"Ah, yeah, it has been a while since I have seen him. A couple of years, actually."

"What?! You have not seen him once in the last couple of years?" Zelda had not expected Link to say that.

"Yeah, it's because of his work. He takes assignments that send him all over the place."

"What exactly does he do, if you do not mind me asking?"

"He actually never really told me, believe it or not. But I eventually started assuming that he was a bounty hunter or something. Why else would he travel all over Hyrule?"

"But Kyoshiro was always returning to the BH, right? Why has it been so long since you last saw your grandfather? Does that not make you nervous?"

"My grandfather has always been incredibly strong, both in body and mind. He taught me almost everything I know… so the thought never even occurred to me that he might have gotten into trouble. I know what he's capable of… he's out there, somewhere, dealing with a contract. That's what I really believe. It would be nice to see him… perhaps we can find him at some point during our travels. But in the meantime, I will simply continue to pray to the Goddesses that he is safe and well."

"I shall ask the Goddesses for help, as well. I wish for you to be reunited with your grandfather: family is a precious treasure that cannot be replaced once you lose it." Zelda looked morose again. Link knew that she was speaking from experience, and he felt a pang of guilt even though her situation was obviously not his fault.

"My grandfather would be honored to meet you. I hope that when the time comes, you would do him the kindness of speaking to him."

"O-of course, Link. After all, if my father gets his way then I shall one day be the head of the Hylian Royal Family. Might as well try to leave a good impression when I can…"

 _If anyone was smart, though, they would do well to avoid me. I am not exactly good news, not with this malicious spirit residing within me… I wonder how long it will take before I have an episode in front of a minister or some other member of the court. I can just imagine the gossip now… and the likelihood of a group of them trying to stage a coup. Gods, I cannot stand the politics of men. That seems like exactly the sort of thing I ought to avoid for the sake of what little sanity I have left._

"You say that as if your reputation is already questionable."

"Well, I honestly have no idea why any of you like me." Zelda shook her head.

"If you think that you have made too many mistakes to deserve any kindness or respect… that is a rather unfortunate way of thinking about people. After all, all of us have done things we are not proud of. Anyone who tells you that they have not made any mistakes is simply lying to you because they are too ashamed of something they have done. The way I see it, everyone deserves a second chance."

"But I was not on my second chance, not by a long shot. Maybe my fourth or fifth one, perhaps… I am hopeless. I am surprised that the Goddesses have not given up on me yet." Zelda sighed.

"If the Goddesses had the luxury to give up on you, then I think that they would be in a position to handle everything themselves. But clearly that is not the case."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? That just sounds like they are stuck with me."

"I mean, aren't we all stuck with each other regardless?" Link smiled wryly. Zelda chuckled slightly.

"I apologize for that, Link. That is a fate worse than death, honestly, to get caught up in all of my stupid drama."

"Part of the 'stupid drama' as you refer to it actually involves all of Hyrule, so it only seems natural that I help out when I can."

"You are entirely too forgiving and easygoing, Link."

"Perhaps you should practice a bit, at least the easygoing part if nothing else. You can be quite rigid at times, and that usually puts people ill at ease."

"I feel like I am doing them a favor if I put them ill at ease. It is not exactly wise for me to allow too many people to get close to me: I do not want to create even more collateral damage. Just look at what we have been up against so far in such a short amount of time. And we really have no clue how much more adversity we must face before we accomplish our mission."

"It does not really matter how much adversity awaits us, because we have no choice but to face it every time. And we will triumph, regardless of the circumstances. That really is the only option available to us, unless of course we are okay with Kkladekk or Krandses or any other outsider trying to control our fates. I will fight with you to the very end to make sure that Hyrule remains under the dominion of the Golden Goddesses, so try to remember that this is not a burden that you must shoulder by yourself."

"… The power of the Triforce is really something. Normally I do not even show my face around strangers, let alone open up to them about all of the fears and doubts that constantly scream at me inside of my own head. But you, Link… already, I feel a deep connection to you unlike one I have felt to anyone else. Our souls truly are linked… but again, I would argue that you got the worse end of the deal here." Zelda shook her head as she raised her right hand, the back of it facing Link. Link raised his left in response, and their Triforces resonated together.

"Perhaps my being stuck with you is a sign from the Goddesses." Link retorted.

"What could you possibly have done to deserve such a cruel and unusual punishment?" Zelda looked like she pitied her friend.

"Perhaps I was taking my life for granted before. I think that is the biggest 'crime' I am guilty of." Link observed pensively. Zelda carefully studied his face, surprised that he seemed to be so melancholy all of a sudden.

"I said before that I lived with my grandfather. I assume that I lost my parents at a very young age, because I have absolutely no memories of them. At first of course I did not question my relationship to my grandfather since it was just him and I in that forest. But when my grandfather took me to Hyrule Castle Town for the first time as a young boy, I could see what most Hylian families looked like. It was then that I realized that our family was different, but… I never had the courage to ask my grandfather what happened to my own parents. Heh, can you believe that? All of this time I have lived with no one to call a mother or father, and I have no idea how long ago they left this world…"

"You too, hm? Why is it that Zukto is the only one of us who has his entire family still intact?"

"No matter what explanation we might be able to come up with, it won't really sound that great. After all, it makes it sound like our families had to be sacrificed for some greater good." Link looked morose.

"It… it is okay… because we can just be family for each other now. Right?" Zelda offered. Link met Zelda's eyes, not immediately sure if he heard her right. Zelda was looking right at him expectantly.

"Wh-what do you mean by that, Princess?"

"Well, Kyoshiro and I are siblings in a way because we shared a mother. It is not a relationship formed by blood, naturally, and because Kyoshiro was sent straight to an orphanage after he was born Lillia never legally claimed him as her son. And her 'adoption' of me was actually not processed through normal channels either. I was always the daughter of the King; he just simply asked my mother to look after me until such a time that he determined would be appropriate to take me back.

Despite the fact that there is no official documentation outlining any connection between Kyoshiro and me, we have embraced the faint ties that brought our families together. You and I do not really have a similar situation, but our souls are linked by design of the Goddesses. And we are comrades in arms, are we not?

I trust you, Link, not just on the battlefield but also on a more personal level. I do not easily trust people, as you know. So it only makes sense to talk about our relationship beyond merely one of circumstance. All of you: Wrath, Nari, Kyoshiro, you, and Zukto… you are important to me." As soon as Zelda finished saying what was on her mind, she felt like she had embarrassed herself.

 _Maybe I should not have admitted that so easily… ugh, whatever, too late to take it back obviously._

"Princess, thank you so much." Link took Zelda's hands in his own, smiling softly at her. Zelda blushed and looked away, her mind suddenly flashing an image at her of when Zukto confessed to her back in the Well of Three Features. Her heart skipped a beat, causing her to panic slightly.

"Er, um, anyway, we should…" Zelda began, trying to think of how to change the subject. Trying to think of something only made her panic more, though. Link could see the distress on her face, and he grew concerned.

"A-are you alright? It's not Demise, is it?"

"N-no! Oh, no, everything is okay! I am sorry; I did not mean to worry you like that. I just, forgive me for being so horrible at this!" Zelda slipped her hands out of Link's grasp and turned away from him, her face burning.

"What got you so worried all of a sudden anyway?"

"I just… I remembered something…" Zelda muttered.

"But that's good, right? After all, you've struggled with losing your memories lately. It must be nice to be able to freely recall things from your past now."

"Y-yes, it is good that I can remember. After all, even if my soul is always reincarnating… the person who I am now will never come back. So I suppose I need to create memories worth keeping while I am still of the mortal world…" Zelda was looking off at nothing in particular. Without thinking, Zelda began to quietly hum to herself.

Link recognized the song right away, naturally. He smiled widely as he hummed along with her. It took Zelda a minute to realize what she was doing. Instead of panic though, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity this presented her.

"This song is familiar to me, for some reason. But I have never met you before, at least not in this life. How else would I have come to know of Epona's Song?"

"Hm, how else? The only thing I can think of is maybe you heard it from Epona's original owner? I believe she goes to Hyrule Castle Town all the time to sell the fresh milk obtained from Lon Lon Ranch's famous cows. I have to imagine that even now, despite Epona being with me, Malon sings the song to herself."

"She must miss Epona. If she had such a close bond to the horse that she made a song specifically for her…"

"I did visit Lon Lon Ranch from time to time, so Malon and Epona did see each other at least a little. It always made Malon feel more at ease to see that Epona was being well cared for. And really… Malon was pretty much the first human friend I ever had. You can say that I care about her a lot."

"Did you ever tell her that?" Zelda blushed again slightly, thinking of Zukto's confession…

"T-tell her? Oh, I don't know, she's probably met so many people already and I'm just some… some weird kid who lived in the middle of the forest. I don't know what I could possibly offer her that someone else hasn't already offered her three times over…" Link looked embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Are you suggesting that you would never approach a woman if someone else had approached her first? That leaves you with very few prospective partners, you know." Zelda pointed out.

"Well, yeah, you're right, but why should I bother if I am out of her league?"

"Out of her…? Link, you cannot decide that for her you know. Only Malon can decide who is worthy of her affections." Zelda looked at her friend sternly.

"Er, yeah, I'm sorry, what I said did kind of come off the wrong way. So what, you think I should approach her?" Link was clearly nervous just thinking about it.

"Why not? Unless you would rather live with the regret of never saying anything to her, I do not see a good reason to stay quiet. The worst that could happen is that she might tell you that she is not interested. Sure, you might feel bad afterwards, but that would just be temporary right? There are plenty of ladies out there who would have you, I think."

"You talk as if you are some kind of expert on the subject. Mind sharing your secret?" Link chuckled, knowing full well that Zelda had minimal experience when it came to adult relationships.

"Expert, me? I-is that some kind of joke? I just… gave you the advice that I wish I could find for myself." Zelda blushed deeply, looking away from Link.

"Aahhh, I see, so you're also trying to figure out how to approach someone. It's Zukto, isn't it?"

"I-I said no such thing! There is no one who I want to approach about anything!" Zelda stammered, but she paused for a moment despite feeling flustered.

"… So, you actually feel the same way." She observed matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Link was not sure what she was referring to.

"You said before that you had not said anything yet because you felt unremarkable, that you could not compete with other potential suitors. In other words, you do not feel confident in yourself when it comes to approaching a lady.

I am completely in the same boat: I feel like a useless burden. How could I possibly trick anyone into showing me affection? I have screwed up so much when it comes to interacting with other people… I spent so long distancing myself from them, that now I am not sure how to change how I approach them."

"Well, Princess, you got at least one thing wrong: I don't think you have to trick anyone into anything."

"H-how do you know?"

"How about you just ask him yourself?" Link teased her.

"A-ask him?! Are you insane?!"

"That is exactly what you told me to do just now! Don't tell me you forgot already."

"No, you do not get it! I… already asked him." Zelda was clearly embarrassed about something, but Link was not sure what she was thinking about.

"So, what did he say?" Link was surprised that she had been so bold already.

"I did not ask him what he felt about me… I actually asked him… why."

"Why? What do you mean, 'why?'" Link was bewildered.

"Is it not obvious? Why does he feel that way about me? Can you tell me? Why would anyone feel anything for me? What makes me so worthy of that kind of attention?" Zelda sighed.

"It is probably one million things all at the same time, Princess. It could be the way that you smile, it could be the sound of your voice, it could be the feeling of your skin, the way the sun illuminates your face, the way the wind blows through your hair, the conversations that you have in private, the way you laugh, the way you rely on each other when you are upset, the way you look at him, the way you unflinchingly fight alongside each other… when people are drawn to one another, every little thing is a spark that makes their hearts skip a beat." Link explained, looking incredulously at the Princess.

"H-he thinks… about all of those things?" Zelda breathed.

"I have no doubt in my mind that he thinks about all of that and more."

"But when I asked him, he did not say anything…"

"When you asked him, you probably would not have accepted any of those answers. Am I wrong?" Link sighed, feeling sorry for Zukto.

"Er, well… perhaps not."

"Zukto knows you fairly well, you know. At least give him the credit he deserves. You purposely put up really tough barriers to keep people away, so Zukto knows that not just any answer will do. He knows that he has to say something so obvious, so rooted in logic, that you will not be able to find any fault in it. He probably needs a little bit of time to figure out what exactly he needs to say. Try not to hold that against him, okay?" Link shook his head.

"You are probably right; I will try to keep that in mind. Thank you, Link. But even so… I suppose in the end that talking to you really did not answer my question."

"What, asking about why you are 'worthy' of another's affections? Do you… do you actually think that you do not deserve someone's affection?"

"I, I do not know. I never really thought about it before to be perfectly honest. I have been really busy with other stuff for a while, and it just never occurred to me that people would think about me. After all, almost no one knows who I am anyway."

"To be fair though, part of the problem here is not that people do not know you; actually, the main issue is that you do not let anyone get to know you. Am I wrong?"

"Well, I… I cannot deny that there is truth to what you say. At first, when I agreed to help Zukto and Kyoshiro, I did not tell them the truth about who I was. I thought that maintaining a distance between us was the only way I could protect myself. The only reason they found out the truth about my identity was because my father forced me to reveal my secret to them. Had I been allowed to choose, they might still not have known my secret by the time we found you. I was that determined to not say anything. After all, they probably would not have believed me anyway; I do not look like Princess Zelda." Zelda looked pensive.

"The way everything worked out, I guess I cannot say for certain how things would be in some other alternative scenario. But despite everything that has happened, all of us have absolute faith in your abilities and your claim to Hyrule's throne. You are our Princess, our Zelda.

Personally, your appearance does not bother me. Perhaps that is because I have seen just how human you are: I have seen you pushed to the edge of despair; I have seen you struggle physically and mentally with burdens too great for one person to bear alone, and I have also seen you show genuine compassion to others. There are probably people out there who will reject you just based on appearances alone… but try to remember that they have not seen what we have seen. They will always be wrong for not giving you a chance."

"Link… I do not deserve you as a friend. Truly." Zelda smiled slightly, reflecting on what he said inwardly.

Kyoshiro and Ruellian, after meeting up back in Hyrule Castle Town, decided to take care of the job that Kkladekk had given them. They were already back in Charcai thanks to a magical gateway in the basement of the Bounty Hunter Headquarters that was linked to the set of underground passageways that Zelda and her friends had infiltrated just the other day. Kyoshiro, knowing that Ruellian always got impatient with him, opted not to say anything as they walked. He was content enough to empty his head of all thoughts, though there was still a very quiet voice in the back of his head that had been every so often telling him to take off his ring. At least, he remembered hearing the voice back in Hyrule. Now that they were in Charcai, however, the voice seemed to have given up. But the voice was so striking, almost familiar even, that Kyoshiro kept letting the voice echo throughout his mind.

 _This voice seems familiar for some reason. And why do they want me to take the ring off so badly? Seems a little weird. Whatever, I guess._

Ruellian normally was okay with an extended silence, but she was feeling a bit annoyed by and on edge about a few things; the only person around was Kyoshiro, of course, so she immediately turned her attention to him.

"What in Charcai's name were you doing for the last couple of weeks anyway? You up and disappeared without a word."

"What's it to you?" Kyoshiro grunted. Why did Ruellian care?

"You were with Kkladekk's younger brother; that looks kind of suspicious."

"Kkladekk's younger brother…? Why would I have been hanging around with him?"

"Why would you have…? Why are you asking _me_ that? You are the one who did it."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Wow, really? You are being so mature right now, Kyoshiro. Why in the hell does Master Kkladekk even keep you around anyway?" Ruellian muttered tersely.

"I can hear you, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, you trying to play dumb just makes this whole thing look more suspicious."

"Okay, we need to settle this misunderstanding here. I have no memories of the last couple of weeks or whatever. Happy now? I honestly have no idea what I was doing for the last whatever number of days."

"You have no… memories of it…? What the hell… you honestly think I will believe something so idiotic? How did you lose your memories then?"

"I have no clue! Gods, you're so fucking annoying Ruellian. Get off my case."

"Doesn't this, you know, _bother_ you? Just an entire section of your memories inexplicably gone?"

"As long as I have stuff to take care of, there's no point dwelling on the past. And honestly, I wish more of my other memories would disappear too. My life's been pretty shitty to be frank; I think it would be nice to just forget it all."

"Well, that's…." Ruellian suddenly felt ashamed for some reason.

 _This kid is really unusual. He wants to forget everything? What is that like, to suddenly forget? To look at familiar places and faces and not understand what it is that you see?_

 _Having this job gives me something to do… but for some reason I feel like I am missing something. Did I feel like this before, too? My memories are all screwed up; I can't tell what happened. I need to make sure at least I can get something out of this stupid trip besides just following Master's orders. Master's orders are important, but I need to make my own goals my top priority. If I don't look out for me, no one else will._

"Hey, Kyoshiro… what were you doing before you joined us?" Ruellian finally asked.

"None of your business." Kyoshiro grunted.

"H-hey, I am trying to listen to what you have to say."

"I have nothing to say to you. You never used to care about me; why is now so different?"

"Well, I was wrong before to dismiss you. We're a team, right?"

"A team…? I don't do teams. I am only here because Master and the Warden saved my life. I have a debt to repay to them, so I'll listen to what they have to say. But everyone else is just in my way."

"Y-you really think like that?"

"Yes. After all, no one else gave a damn about me while I was growing up. Do you understand what it's like to live at an orphanage for fourteen years, watching dozens of other kids getting adopted into loving families?! All of those kids had hope, but I had _nothing_! The caretakers at the orphanage didn't even want me! So fuck everyone else! _Why in the hell_ should I show them any consideration?!" Kyoshiro's anger was building; he knew the only way he was going to be able to calm down was if he could fight something. He tore past Ruellian, charging further up Mount Samekh.

"Wait, Kyoshiro! …Right now it seems that there is no reasoning with him. I guess we'll just meet each other at the top." Ruellian felt uneasy about something, but had no way to discern what made her feel that way.

Azera was surprised when her vision returned to her after walking through the magical portal created by the Golden Goddesses: she immediately saw a forest laid before her, but this part of the forest seemed lifeless.

"Something seems wrong here… I can sense something very unusual…" Azera looked around, trying to discern which direction she should travel in. All of a sudden, while Azera was quietly studying the landscape surrounding her, she heard the rustling of feathers near her. When Azera turned around, she came face-to-face with the greatest owl she had ever seen.

"O-oh my Goddesses! You scared me! What an amazing creature you are!"

"I thank you for the compliment, Your Highness." The owl plainly responded in clear Hylian.

"Wh-what?! Did you just… did you just speak to me, in my mother tongue?" Azera was wondering if she had already lost a bit of her sanity; surely such a thing was not possible?

"Of course I can speak your mother tongue: my mother tongue is also Hylian, hoo! I followed you here from Hyrule, naturally." The owl cocked its head at her.

"Y-you followed me…? How? How did you know I was coming here?"

"Your parents asked that I follow you, actually. The Goddesses told them that you rather willfully went off in search of Princess Zelda, but of course your parents still felt uneasy despite knowing what kind of powers the Goddesses bestowed you with. You really should have talked to them first you know, hoo."

"My parents knew of a talking owl? This is so incredible. Wow. So, um, what shall I call you?"

"Kaepora Gaebora, my dear Princess."

"Okay, Kaepora Gaebora… your arrival here is actually rather fortuitous for me. I have a favor, if you would. Can you please take to the skies and discover which direction I must travel to find the nearest town?"

"Most certainly, my dear. I shall return to you in mere moments." With a powerful flap of his wings, the massive owl launched itself into the air high above the treetops. He quickly flew out of Azera's line of sight, but the young lady was no longer as nervous as she felt before. Having a Hylian companion was doing much to lift her spirits: surely, with the two of them working together, finding her sister would be a simple task.

Within minutes, the great owl was flying back towards Azera. She smiled at him as he slowly descended down to a tree and grasped the biggest limb in his giant talons.

"Miss Azera, it appears that you must proceed through the forest this way. There is indeed a town not that far from here: I shall lead you through the forest." Kaepora Gaebora took to the skies again, this time making sure to fly slower so Azera could keep up. The two of them quickly made their way from the dead part of the forest to the healthier one; Azera was surprised at how quickly the state of the forest changed.

"Something must have happened here long ago to make the trees look like that… I could feel a strange power lingering in the air." Kaepora called down to Azera.

"I agree with you!" Azera yelled back.

 _Wow, this talking owl is so amazing. I wonder where he comes from, and why is he content to follow my parents' directions? Surely he has something better to do than follow me around?_

The pair continued through the forest until they noticed the massive tree with unusual roots. Azera stopped before Kaepora did; when her companion realized that she had stopped, he flew back to be with her.

"Is everything okay, Miss Azera?"

"This tree… it is so strange. Do you sense anything about it?"

"Hm… yes, I do sense something actually."

"I am going to approach it, just for a minute." Azera slowly approached the tree, not even sure if anything was going to happen.

"Anything feel different, hoo?" The owl asked.

"N-no… but I feel that a great power rests within this tree. It must be here for a reason, right?"

"I would assume that yes, the tree serves some kind of purpose. But what purpose it serves, I cannot be sure."

"Well… maybe we will just have to come back here at another time. It's quite strange, but I feel like this tree is hiding something from us. But without any information about it, I suppose that standing around here is just wasting our time."

"We can, if you so desire, return at another time. Shall we refocus our attention on finding that town?"

"Yes, let's." The pair tore their attention away from the strange tree and returned to the road leading out of the forest. Soon enough, they saw people working in fields.

"These must be the locals. I need to listen to them speak so I can get a feel for their language." Azera muttered, mostly to herself. When she looked up into the sky, she realized that she had no idea where Kaepora Gaebora was.

 _Wait, when did I lose him?! Where did he go… oh, wait a second… if I think about this calmly, then it seems like less of a big deal. These people would likely freak out about a large owl, right? So it makes sense that he would hide himself for the time being. I will just need to keep my eyes and ears open for a sign from him. I am sure that he is keeping an eye on me, wherever he went._

As Azera followed the dirt road into town, she could hear people talking in hushed voices.

"It's another strange one…"

"Her clothes look way too fancy; is she from the capital?"

"Her ears are really freaky."

 _Hm, okay… it seems that the Goddesses' powers are working. I can understand these people, at least._

Azera did not stop to talk to anyone, at least not anyone outside of town. Noticing a large sign posted above a dirt road, she took a moment to try to read it. The sign said 'Forestland Samekh.'

 _That must be the name of the town, or the region I am in? Alright. I can read their language and understand it; this should be a big help. Now, what should I do? I have absolutely no information on where my sister could have gone. It seems that there is a path that leads out of town and up that big mountain… maybe I can rejoin Kaepora Gaebora up there, and we can talk about our plans._

Azera ignored the stares and pointed remarks she heard people uttering as she raced through town. Except one comment in particular got her attention…

"She looks like the one in green we saw before, right?"

 _One in green… ah, they must be referring to sister's friend, Link. Right? We both have pointed ears, blonde hair, and blue eyes. That must be what they mean. So Link was here, then, which must mean that my sister was here as well. But that does not help me figure out where they might be right now… if only I knew what their plans were… at this rate, all I can do is wander around aimlessly…_

As Azera headed up Mount Samekh, Kyoshiro reached the summit. He had barely stopped running the entire time, leaving Ruellian quite a ways behind him. He absentmindedly looked around the mountain peak, not sure exactly what he was looking for. While he was trying to decide what to do next, he heard gravel shifting nearby. In a fluid movement, Kyoshiro turned around and quickly brandished his sword. When he saw what had made the noise, a big wolf, he did not stand down.

"You think you can make a meal out of me? Prepare to be disappointed, mutt." Kyoshiro warned.

 _I apologize if I startled you. However, are we not on the same side? I do not see any reason why you must remain in such a defensive stance. You are among friends here._ A voice called out in Kyoshiro's head.

"Wh-what the hell?! Who said that?!" Kyoshiro frantically looked around, trying to discern where the voice was coming from.

 _Now this is rather odd. We just met yesterday, you and I. And yet you appear to have no recollection of our meeting. I can smell you, so I know for certain that I am not mistaken about your identity._

"I have no idea who you are or what you want, but get out of my head."

 _This is how I communicate, as you already are well aware of. We spoke like this yesterday._

"I don't make a habit out of speaking to voices in my head. Most people would assume I was crazy, you know."

 _I do think that something peculiar is going on, but I would not go as far as to say that you are crazy. However, how did it come to pass that your memory of our meeting is already gone?_

"Everybody keeps asking me about my memories; it's getting on my nerves. Butt out of matters that don't concern you. Now show yourself, you coward."

 _I have been here the entire time, actually. This voice you hear belongs to the wolf standing before you._

"Ugh, are you serious? Not only am I hearing voices, but a wolf is claiming to be able to communicate with people? Today really isn't my day."

 _Where are your companions?_

"What companions? You must be mistaken about who you met, because I don't have any—" Just as Kyoshiro was about to finish, Ruellian darted up to the summit. She saw Kyoshiro standing off against a wolf, and realized that he had found what they came for.

"Good work, Kyoshiro! We got him right where we want him!" She declared, catching up to him.

 _Wh-what? Who is this…? She is not one of the people I saw you with yesterday._

"It doesn't really matter who I was with before. You have to deal with us right now regardless."

"Who are you talking to, Kyoshiro?" Ruellian raised an eyebrow.

"The mutt can speak inside of our minds." Kyoshiro grunted.

"Well, it seems smart enough to understand human speech so I have a message to deliver: our Master, Kkladekk, sends his greetings!" Ruellian sneered.

 _What?! Kkladekk?! I have been deceived: you were working with him the entire time?!_

"You bet I was. I am Kyoshiro, the last of Master Kkladekk's chosen disciples! We have orders from our Master; honestly, this isn't personal. You'll listen to our orders now!" Kyoshiro charged straight at the wolf spirit. It was going to retreat inside of its den, but Ruellian raised a giant slab of earth over the entrance, barring entry.

"Ahaha, what's wrong little pup? Can't run away?" Ruellian mocked.

 _Brothers! We are under attack: you must get word to the humans who helped us yesterday! They will surely come to our aid!_ The wolf spirit howled a chilling tune that traveled for miles around the mountain peak. Within moments, dozens of howls could be heard scattered throughout the mountain.

 _You might have cornered me, but there is no way that you can stop my brothers from calling for aid. Already, they are sending out a distress signal. If you do not wish to get involved in a fight where you will be outnumbered, I suggest you leave immediately._

"Hah, your threats mean nothing to us." Ruellian scoffed as she held her hands out in front of her. Closing her eyes, she focused her magic power into the tips of her fingers.

"Lord of Darkness, leave your mark upon your newest servant!" She chanted, her body surrounded by a dark glow. The dark light transferred from her to the wolf, whose body buckled from pain shortly after being bathed in darkness.

 _Young heroes… I beg of you… save my pack…_ The wolf spirit lost consciousness right before its body began to dramatically change into a two-headed beast. As soon as the transformation was complete, the beast got back up on its feet and snarled viciously.

"Awww, look at our cute little mutt now. You look like a perfect little servant of darkness, yes you do~." Ruellian cooed to the massive beast, giving it a pat on the head. The beast did not lash out at her; rather, it seemed to be pleased by her compliment. In a quick movement, Ruellian used her magic to dispel the illusion of the giant boulder she had summoned to block the entrance to the wolves' den.

"Now what?" Kyoshiro asked.

"This is only part of what we came here to do. We needed to punish the impudent wolf, but we also need to corrupt the magical energy that lives here. Likely, this wolf was not here on accident: he was obviously trying to guard something. We need to enter the den and find it." Ruellian lead the way into the underground tunnel, the corrupted wolf spirit following closely behind her.

Kyoshiro was about to stay behind, as he had no interest in wandering through some wolf-infested cave, but he reminded himself that Ruellian would complain to Master Kkladekk if she thought that she did too much of the work by herself. Wanting to avoid lectures or disappointing his Master, Kyoshiro decided to catch up to Ruellian.

It was nearly nightfall by the time that Azera reached the summit of Mount Samekh.

"This place seems so peaceful… I would assume that no one lives this high in the mountains?" Azera muttered to herself, looking around. She noticed some tracks in the dirt, so she carefully squatted down to get a closer look at them.

"Hm, tracks of a Wolfos?" Seems fairly fresh; I guess wolves call this area home, at any rate. Hm, what is that over there…?" Azera stood back up when she noticed a large stone structure.

"Ah, probably the den where they live. Now, what should I do? Sister and the others would not be hanging around with a bunch of Wolfos, I presume…" Azera was quietly thinking to herself when the beat of wings interrupted her thoughts.

"Ah, Kaepora Gaebora! You have returned!" Azera called out to her avian friend when she looked towards the sky. Kaepora touched down on the ground gracefully right before the young lady.

"What brings you up to this tall mountain, Miss Azera?"

"Well, I was thinking that you would not let yourself be seen by the locals here. They would certainly panic to see an owl such as yourself. So the logical conclusion was that, if I wanted to speak with you, we should reconvene somewhere where ordinary people would not bother to go."

"Your insight is quite commendable, dear Azera. Yes, I did not want to be seen by ordinary people. Now that we are free to talk, what is your plan?"

"Well, I believe I heard something while in town that would suggest that my sister and her friends have at least been to this area once before. However, I have no idea where they are right now or where they planned on going. We need someone who knows the area really well, someone who can guide us…" Just as Azera said that, she heard more howling in the distance.

"Hm… someone like a Wolfos could smell where my sister is!" She declared.

"D-Dearest Azera, how do you expect to get a Wolfos to cooperate with you? Those creatures are quite dangerous."

"I, I guess you have a point there. But what else could be more perfect for tracking down a person?"

"I do understand where you are coming from, but perhaps we need to consider a strategy that does not include monsters."

Just as Kaepora Gaebora suggested that, Ruellian ran out of the wolves' den. At first she was taken aback to see another human standing outside, but her stupor quickly subsided when she noticed who she was looking at: the woman standing on the mountain peak with a massive owl had blonde hair and pointed ears!

"You! I have been dying to see you!" Ruellian yelled aggressively.

"O-oh?!" Azera jumped in surprise, not having realized that someone else was up there with them. She turned to face the voice with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Do I know you?" Azera asked.

 _This person speaks Hylian! That is a bit of a relief, honestly!_

"No, but you're about to find out who I am the hard way. You endangered Shaikh Ethe's life, and now you'll pay for your brutality!"

"Shaikh Ethe? I am not sure who you are referring to, and I do not appreciate your accusations. I am not, as you say, brutal." Azera felt a bit put off by this strange person.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl! I saw you, with your blonde hair and blue eyes. You were standing over his mangled body, sneering at him like he was a piece of garbage. I will not allow you to escape me; it is time you receive your punishment!" Ruellian's rage was quickly growing out of control.

Within moments, Kyoshiro caught up with Ruellian. He had heard yelling as he was leaving the cave, but he was not sure what was going on. When he caught sight of Azera, however, he too quickly changed his mood.

"You! I have been looking for you!" He quickly drew his blade.

"Back off, Kyoshiro! This bitch is mine!" Ruellian shrieked.

"What the hell is with you?" Kyoshiro questioned. Azera looked over at the person who was standing next to Ruellian and gasped a bit.

"It-it's you! You're sister's friend! Oh, please, take me to her right away!" Azera pleaded.

"What the hell are you going on about? I have no idea who you are, and I certainly have no idea who your sister is. Go find your sister yourself."

"Oh, right, I apologize. Of course you do not recognize me, because my body is so different now. I am the younger sister of Princess Zelda, the young Princess Azera. Do you remember me now?"

"Zelda? I don't know any princesses named Zelda. But I do recognize the name Azera: you're the King's daughter. Or so I thought. Isn't the King's daughter still a little kid? You're a fully grown adult no matter how I look at you. There's no way you could be her."

"Wait, you don't know Zelda…? But, how could that be…?" Azera faltered.

"Azera, I do not advise that we stay here. You have never had to fight people before, and these people seem to be quite hostile. It would not be wise to endanger ourselves at this point in time." Kaepora Gaebora advised.

"If you think that I will let you escape, you are the greatest fool I have ever met. Go, Demikhov!" Ruellian commanded. With a vicious roar that nearly sounded like a crash of thunder, a massive beast leapt out of the cave that Ruellian and Kyoshiro had come from. The monster landed right in the middle of the only path down the mountain. It bared its great teeth at Azera, snarling ferociously.

"O-oh my Goddesses! That beast… that beast has been tainted with dark magic!" Azera gasped.

"This is not good. Quickly, Azera, grab on!" Without a moment to spare, Kaepora launched himself into the air. When he was airborne, Azera jumped up and grabbed onto his talons.

"I will not drop you, I promise!" Showing no sign that her weight was slowing him down, the massive owl soared even higher into the air.

"Shit! She's getting away!" Ruellian was furious.

"What the hell do you expect? Maybe you should have had the stupid dog eat the bird first." Kyoshiro scoffed.

"Ugh, I cannot stand the sight of your face right now! Only _I_ can go after that girl. She nearly killed Shaikh Ethe, and it's my job to get revenge for him. Why don't you go disappear for another two weeks or something? You'll just get in my way otherwise!"

"Heh, you're asking me to leave you alone? No need to ask twice." Kyoshiro began to nonchalantly walk back down the mountain, more than happy to get some peace and quiet.

"You better watch yourself! I think you're hiding something from us, and I am going to figure out what it is!"

 _What the hell is with her? Is she even crazier than usual? Whatever. I am just happy to have an excuse to be on my own again. People have been so annoying lately._

… _What the hell is with Kyoshiro? I always thought there was something off about him, but in the past day his behavior makes even less sense. At the very least though, we succeeded in doing what we came here to do._

"Thank you Kaepora for your quick thinking back there! I must admit that we had gotten ourselves into quite a fix." Azera called up to her companion as they flew through the sky.

"Your parents were right to worry about you, it seems!" Kaepora Gaebora hooted with amusement.

"By the way, how did you know I was the one you were looking for? After all, I do not look much like the young Princess Azera."

"Your parents told me that you were assuming the form of a fully-grown person. And I could tell that you are intimately connected to the Golden Goddesses, so it was not hard for me to figure out who you were."

"Kaepora Gaebora, do you mind if I ask who you are? It is so mysterious, an owl that can speak in human tongues and is so knowledgeable about human affairs."

"Haha, my dear Azera… you must keep this a secret, alright? I may appear to you as an owl, but I am no mere bird. In truth, my name is actually Rauru: I am the Sage of Light, and your great uncle."

"What?! You are Uncle Rauru?!" Azera could barely contain herself.

"Now now, remember my dear, our secret." Kaepora Gaebora was tickled by her enthusiasm.

"Y-yes, Kaepora Gaebora. But why…?"

"I am honor bound to serve the Hylian Royal Family, and besides, we all share the same blood. It would be quite unbecoming of me to leave my great niece to suffer at the hands of Hyrule's enemies. Even your older sister, who is quite skilled in her own right, cannot afford to be reckless and travel on her own.

I was relieved to hear from your father that she had gathered some allies, because a mission such as the one thrust upon her by the Gods cannot be faced by one man alone. No man is so powerful that he would be able to overcome every obstacle by himself. I hope you keep that in mind, dearest Azera."

"With your help Kaepora Gaebora, I know we will be able to find my sister. I am so thankful to have you by my side." Azera smiled.

"Now, hold on tight. We are about to descend."

The Sage disguised as an owl gently set Azera down on the ground. She looked around and immediately noticed the strange tree again.

"I see we have returned."

"I of course did not want to set you down in the middle of town: it would draw too much attention. So this seemed like the safest place, hoo."

"Yes, you have a fair point there."

"What would you like to do now, dear Azera?"

"Hm… I am actually quite concerned about that young man we saw up on the mountain. I know for certain that he is my sister's friend, and yet he seemed to not know of her. I saw him at the Castle with my sister: there is no mistaking that."

"Unfortunately, I have not seen Princess Zelda in a while; I will have to defer to you on any matter involving her."

"Oh, right, you might not have been told… my sister has changed a bit."

"Changed, hoo? Whatever do you mean?"

"Her hair, and her eyes… she does not look like me."

"How mysterious, hoo. Do you know what the cause of the change is?"

"N-no… ever since I first met her, she looked like me. But all of a sudden… actually, thinking back, I think I know when it happened. It happened on her twentieth birthday; she was supposed to meet us that night, but she never came home. And we did not see her for a while after that. I have no idea what actually happened… but it must have been really hard for her. She never talked about it, and I have not had the chance to ask her. I hope that now I will get a chance to talk with her about it."

Kaepora Gaebora had been listening to Azera intently, but something else caught his attention just as she finished speaking.

"Is something wrong?"

"I think we have company, hoo."

"Qu-quickly, go hide!" Azera pleaded. Without another word, the owl took to the sky and disappeared from sight.

Azera stood on guard, her whole body feeling tense, and kept a close eye on the strange tree. Suddenly, the roots began to move!

 _Something is happening!_ Azera waited with bated breath.

The roots cleared themselves, revealing a pathway. Within moments, several people walking single-file from behind the roots appeared within Azera's field of vision. The one in front stopped, waiting for everyone else to catch up. When the small group of people gathered, the roots slowly blocked the path again. At first, due to the darkness, Azera was not sure who the people were. They had not noticed the woman standing off to the side, so they began to talk amongst themselves.

"Ricando, you said we should return to Mount Samekh. The timing really seems strange; you all heard that chorus of howling a bit ago, correct?" A young man's voice asked.

"Did something happen? Could you understand the howls?" Another young man inquired.

"Yes. The howls were a distress signal: they need our help. Something must have happened, but what exactly I could not say…" The first man responded.

"We have to be ready for whatever is waiting for us up there." A woman's voice spoke this time. One of Azera's hands flew up to her mouth when she realized whose voice she heard: it was Zelda!

"Zelda! Oh, thank the Gods that I found you!" Azera took a step towards the group of people, her eyes tearing up a bit from relief.

Everyone seemed surprised to hear someone else's voice so suddenly. Zelda took a step forward, making sure that all of her friends were behind her.

"I—wait a second, who… who are you?" Zelda tried to study the new person as well as she could: it was dark out, but she could tell that the person was close to her age.

Azera walked closer still to the group.

"Sister, it's me. It's your younger sister, Azera." She smiled calmly at her older sister.

Unfortunately for Azera, Zelda could not reciprocate that calmness.

Something clicked into place in Zelda's brain, instantly changing her mood from cautiously curious to enraged.

"…How fucking dare you." Zelda whispered dangerously.

"Wh-what…?" Azera was completely unprepared for that kind of a reaction.

"I do not know how you know about my family, but listen here: my sister has nothing to do with your schemes. How dare you drag an innocent girl into this mess. If I find out that you have harmed her in any way, I will make you beg for death. I have no absolutely mercy to show someone like you. Do you understand me, Ruellian?!" Zelda almost threatened the woman physically, but she barely managed to restrain herself.

"I-I have no idea who this Ruellian person is, but I take it that they must have hurt you. Sister, I came to find you so I could help you."

"I called you out and yet you still insist on playing this game?! Look, I am not as stupid as you seem to think I am. My sister is eight years old. Eight. Why in Din's name do you think that I would believe that a woman like you is an eight-year-old girl? Answer me, Ruellian!" Zelda demanded, seething.

"Sister, please, hear me out—"

"Damn you for calling me that! I cannot bear to look at you right now; I fear that I am about to lose my temper. Get out of here. I will show you this kindness once: leave me alone, and I shall leave you alone. Never approach me with that face again and never call me sister again, you witch." Zelda stormed off towards the village, using the last of her energy to focus on her objective. Ricando wanted them to climb Mount Samekh, so she tried to block everything else out of her mind.

Zelda's friends had mixed expressions on their faces.

"Honestly, that ranks up there as one of Zelda's most intense outbursts. You really hit a nerve, young lady." Zukto pointed out.

"You have it all wrong! I am indeed her younger sister!" Azera insisted.

"I am pretty sure that you are a Hylian; at least you look like one to me. But Zelda is right, you know: Azera is eight years old. There is no way that someone of your stature is merely a child.

You can't really blame Zelda for finding this whole thing ridiculous, can you? And anyway, all of us already met Princess Azera. We know what she looks like. How did you ever think that you could fool us?" Link asked incredulously.

"I am not trying to fool anyone! Please, believe me…" Azera was starting to realize that she underestimated how difficult her task was going to be.

"Go ahead, everyone. I will catch up in a moment." Wrath suddenly said as he appeared from out of Azera's shadow. Azera jumped in surprise.

Zukto, Link, Ricando, and Nari all left at Wrath's suggestion to rejoin Zelda. Wrath silently watched them walk out of sight. It was only when he felt that they were sufficiently out of earshot that Wrath turned to Azera.

"So you claim that you are indeed Princess Azera? Normally I would not interfere in matters such as this, but you have honestly piqued my interest. The thing that interests me the most about you is… you have no soul. Why is that?"

"Will you truly listen to what I have to say? For that, I thank you stranger. The Goddesses took my soul from me the very day I was born."

"They took your soul? But mortals cannot live without a soul."

"Precisely. They took my soul with the intention of ending my life."

"And yet here you are. Mind indulging my curiosity some more?"

"But of course. My parents made an appeal to the Gods to return me to the land of the living when they realized that I passed away. You see, my birth was a strategic one. My sister was in hiding, but very few people knew about her. Everyone else was concerned about why the King and Queen had no heirs, so my parents were simply going to use me as a substitute until Zelda could assume her proper role in the family.

The Goddesses considered the situation, and settled on a compromise. You see, they were afraid that by having two daughters the King of Hyrule's influence would grow far beyond what they had envisioned.

They agreed to give me back to my parents on the condition that I was not to be a normal girl. I would never marry, never have children, and I would be forever bound to serve the Goddesses. I never got to spend even a day in Hyrule as a mortal girl: I am, and always will be, the Demigoddess Azera, eternal servant of the Golden Goddesses."

"My, my, that is certainly interesting. So then Zelda was never informed of this? You pretended to be a normal little girl this entire time?"

"Correct. We decided before Zelda even met me that we should keep the truth of my identity a closely-guarded secret. I feel bad for lying to her, and now I can see that the lie we perpetuated for eight years is having unintended consequences… however, I have no choice but to accept those consequences, I guess."

"This whole story is rather fantastical; perhaps even unbelievable… however, I am willing to give you a chance. That is why I stayed behind to speak with you. Azera, we are going to Mount Samekh. Do you know what that is?"

"I-I think I climbed up that mountain. Just past the town, right? Look, there is something important I must tell you!"

"Oh?"

"There is a great beast living on that mountain."

"A great beast? We have already been up on that mountain, and the only thing we saw was a pack of wolves."

"Pack of wolves? I think I did hear a whole bunch of wolves howling earlier. They were howling just before I saw the great beast."

"So… what does this beast look like?"

"It is bigger than a house, and has two heads!" Azera declared.

"Two-headed beast? Hm. I suppose we will just have to be on our guard, then."

"You're still going?!"

"We have no choice but to go. There is something on that mountain we must find. We are not unaccustomed to danger, in case that is what you are concerned about. Every single one of us has fought numerous battles to get to this point; we will not back down now.

"I want to go with you!"

"Azera, you saw how Zelda was before. Look… just like you lied to your sister about your condition, she also lied to you. Perhaps lied is too harsh a word; after all, you might not have understood everything at the time anyway. No, she wanted to protect your innocence. The life the Princess has endured has been rife with misery, bloodshed, and dark magic. I do hope that you will get a chance to speak to her directly: you need to understand her point of view directly from the source. But her situation has left her quite suspicious of those around her. You need to figure out how to get her to drop her guard."

"You know her; can't you tell me how to get her to listen to me?"

"Azera, if you truly are Zelda's younger sister… if you truly aim to join us and lend us your powers, you must accomplish this task on your own. You must reach out to your sister and get her to acknowledge you. It will be difficult, yes, but not impossible. After all, everyone who she has been traveling with has earned her trust. I have full confidence that you can earn her trust, as well. You know where we will be… if you choose to follow us, that is up to you." With that, Wrath disappeared.

"Wait!" Azera called out to the now empty forest.

Within moments, she heard the flap of wings. Kaepora Gaebora touched down on the ground next to the Demigoddess.

"So that was Princess Zelda… I can sense an incredibly powerful spell emanating from her. That magic must be what changed her, hoo."

"So my sister was attacked on her birthday, then. That has to be why she never came home. But why… why didn't she come to us for help? There is so much that I don't know… wow, Uncle Rauru… I feel so stupid all of a sudden."

"My dear, do not be so hard on yourself. Your sister has always been fairly secretive about her feelings. I am not surprised to discover that she was attacked and then tried to keep it a secret."

"What should we do?"

"Well, your objective is still the same is it not? We must convince Princess Zelda that you are indeed her younger sister."

"Yes, we must. I still am not sure how I can do that, but… our only option seems to be to go back to Mount Samekh. Uncle, can you please fly us back there? My sister and everyone else do not know you came with me, so they are probably assuming that I have to walk everywhere. If we fly up the mountain, we will reach the top long before they do. That will give us time to figure out our next plan of attack."

"I will certainly get us to the top of the mountain if that is your wish. However, please do remember that we met those two hostile people up there. What if they are still there?"

"Hm… you have a point… I might have no choice but to test out my powers finally. After all, if I don't fight them… my sister might have to fight them. I think I would rather fight those two strangers myself. Perhaps if sister were to see me fighting those two people, she would trust me more."

"Are you that confident in your abilities, hoo? There is no rush to engage in this fight if you are not prepared for it."

"The only way I will know for certain is if I use them, right?"

"I will support you, then, since you seem to have made your decision. Shall we go?"

The Sage of Light carried Azera away, flying in the direction of Mount Samekh…


	25. A Fight To Reclaim Mount Samekh

Everyone caught up with Zelda in short order, and immediately noticed that she was fuming. It was obvious why she was so agitated, but even then no one really wanted to risk making her even more aggressive. The silence that prevailed over the group was awkward.

 _I cannot believe that snake of a woman! She will regret using my sister as bait, I can promise that much. Gods, she pisses me off. Standing there, trying to act all innocent even when I pointed out that her stupid disguise was not convincing anyone. I clearly need to beat some sense into her, and that is exactly what I plan on doing next time she gets in my way._

 _Why did you spare that worthless wretch, anyway? Would it not have been prudent to simply get rid of her now as opposed to later?_ Demise's voice rang through Zelda's head; Zelda's eyes widened in shock momentarily when she realized who was speaking to her.

 _Fuck off._ Zelda glowered, trying to save face.

 _My, my, quite unbecoming language there for a young woman of status such as yourself._

 _Like you give a shit about what I do or say._

 _Too right you are. I rather enjoy your abrasive manner, anyway._

 _Nobody cares about what you enjoy. Leave me alone._

 _Now now, my dear, you must admit that I have a point. Sparing that woman will only cause you problems. If you want your enemies to fear you, showing them mercy is hardly how you will earn their respect. They think you are soft. I think it is time that you show them how wrong they are: I know how much of a demon you can be on the battlefield. It has been too long since you let me fight… how about you let me take over for a while?_

 _Like hell I would let you take over. I have friends now, and you have tried hurting them already. I will never trust you around them; I need to remain in control to protect them from you._

 _It is only a matter of time before you have absolutely no say in the matter… you know already that I am the one who activated the Triforce of Power when Hylia was trying to activate Wisdom. Being in this place gives me much more power than I could get in Hyrule. I am starting to like it here, actually… the land is being corrupted and the peoples' hearts are filled with anguish and bitterness. You can feel it, correct? That wonderful aura of despair…_

 _Ugh… he is right… I feel such dread right now… dammit… it does not help that my stomach is twisted in knots just thinking about my sister. Please Gods, tell me that she is safe. I have to deal with so much shit right now, and I really do not have the energy to endure this as well._

Before long, Zelda's group was passing through Forestland Samekh again. Because it was so late at night, the villagers were nowhere to be seen. The walk through town was peaceful, except…

"… Do you feel that…?" Zelda suddenly asked as she looked ahead towards Mount Samekh.

"…So my prediction was correct, after all. Kkladekk is indeed trying to corrupt the shrines of Charcai. Mount Samekh is now pulsing with dark energy… he must have sent someone to defile the shrine right after we left the summit." Ricando noted.

"The wolves from earlier were calling for us; remember when I pointed out all of that howling? That howling was to let us know that the great wolf spirit who helped us earlier needs our help." Link reminded everyone.

"Speaking of Mount Samekh, there is a great two-headed beast waiting for us." Wrath casually mentioned. He was curious as to how Zelda would react.

"How do you know that?" Zelda quickly switched her attention to her shadowy partner.

"Let's just say a little bird told me." Wrath grinned.

"Do not tell me that insufferable wretch told you; how could you trust anything she says, anyway?" Zelda fumed.

"I won't tell you then." Wrath smirked.

"God dammit Wrath, you actually listened to her?! It is obviously a trap."

"How could it be a trap if she willingly told me what we could expect at the top of the mountain?"

"She is trying to earn your trust and then she will kill you after you let your guard down. It may be true that such a beast waits for us: it would not be terribly surprising. However, she gains nothing from telling us the truth. She is purposely withholding information from us that will put us at a disadvantage."

"I guess all we can do is journey up the mountain and see what happens."

"You are acting strange, Wrath."

"Am I?"

Zelda stared at her partner for a moment, trying to figure out what he was hoping to accomplish. He did not really believe anything that blonde woman said, did he?

 _This is going to get out of hand very quickly, I fear. Is Ruellian really so bold to appear before Princess Zelda and claim to be her younger sister? I get that Kkladekk may have given Ruellian orders to try to deceive Zelda, but… but why would Ruellian appear before Zelda as an 'older' version of Azera? For some reason, I get this weird feeling that the woman who saw us in the forest wasn't Ruellian at all… I am not sure who she is, but it just can't be Ruellian. Ruellian isn't that stupid, and neither is Kkladekk. Something else is going on here that we're missing._ Link thought, perplexed by the strange situation they found themselves in.

 _What in Din's name is going on here? First a spirit appears before me and claims to be Charcai, but then Ricando chases it off. We never actually found out who that spirit was, and then a girl appears before us who can change her appearance at will. Ruellian is certainly going to be hard to deal with if she always looks different when we encounter her… but… is she actually the one who appeared before us as that golden-haired woman?_

 _I have to say… the young woman's face, even in the dark, feels very familiar to me. She really looked like Zelda, to be totally honest. I think that Zelda noticed it too; that must be one reason why she reacted so intensely. I have no idea what we should do in this situation… so I guess all I can do is support Zelda for now._ Zukto looked over at Hyrule's princess, feeling a bit on edge. They still had many enemies, so he understood why Zelda was being cautious. But he had to admit that her cautiousness was very quickly approaching the point of paranoia.

"The next time I see her, I am going to make her regret trying to test me like this. My patience is always rather thin, but she found one of the quickest ways to piss me off. Only a coward would use a child as a hostage. They know where I am: they need to ignore everyone else and bring the fight straight to me. But if they are incapable of that, I suppose I can show them one last courtesy before I rip Ruellian to pieces." Zelda declared darkly.

 _There you go; that's a good girl._ Demise chuckled to himself.

 _Do not get ahead of yourself; I am not doing anything because you want me to. She needs to learn what the consequences are for messing with my family._

 _Indeed. When someone takes something that belongs to you, it is only natural to teach them a lesson. If you ignore the slight, they will believe that they can take advantage of you._

 _Kkladekk still thinks he can act with impunity. Hylia did injure Shaikh Ethe pretty badly before, but perhaps that was not enough of a warning for him. Taking out Ruellian should be a sufficient way of telling them that they cannot escape this conflict unscathed._

 _Do not worry, my dear. I swear to you that we will deal with that man you call Kkladekk. With my Power, your victory is assured._

 _Kkladekk is mine: no need for you to get involved._ Zelda pointed out hastily.

 _For now, I concede that you have things under control. But I am always here, waiting, and I am always watching…_ With that, Demise's voice went quiet.

 _H-hey, for once, I was able to talk to Him and not lose control. Does this mean that I am getting stronger?_ Zelda took pause for a moment to consider this development.

 _What did I do to be able to reach this point? I want to keep doing it, if it will help me keep Him at bay._ Zelda felt a bit nervous but hopeful.

While Zelda was busy with her thoughts, Wrath quietly slipped away from the group. The darkness easily hid him from sight, making his detour a secret to Zelda's group. He was interested in pursuing someone who he sensed nearby.

 _We traveled together enough already, so I know I am not mistaken: Kyoshiro is nearby. Zelda and the others want to ascend the mountain, and he was probably ordered to follow them. If I can keep him busy, however, that would make their climb much easier._

As Wrath got closer to where he could feel Kyoshiro's presence, he suddenly felt very ill at ease.

He purposely stopped moving, making sure to stand in a spot that was bathed in moonlight. He could see his shadow clearly on the ground, which he was sure he was going to need in short order.

Within moments of him stopping, he heard a 'whoosh' noise coming from somewhere nearby. Just as something flew straight into his field of vision, catching a glint of moonlight on its polished surface, his shadow quickly snatched the object out of the air before it came any closer. He took a minute to study the object he collected: to his surprise, he realized he was now in possession of Kyoshiro's great sword!

"Need to be quieter than that if you want to take me by surprise. Come now: face me directly." Wrath invited the area at large, knowing that Kyoshiro would face him in order to get his sword back.

Kyoshiro grunted slightly, annoyed that he had been found out so easily. When Kyoshiro stepped in front of Wrath, noticing the being standing in the moonlight with a giant, shadowy hand firmly holding onto his great sword, he did a double take.

"Sentinel Pride? You are the last person I expected to see here. I thought you were busy in the capital?" Kyoshiro looked pretty surprised.

 _Now this is highly amusing: not only does Kyoshiro not remember me, but it seems that he has mistaken me for someone else. But how could that be? Is he suggesting that there is someone working for Kkladekk who looks like me? I must get to the bottom of this: I thought my kind was wiped out centuries ago…_

"I do yet have business to attend to, naturally, but I was eager to meet with the foreign Princess who controls the shadows."

"Oh right, you still haven't met her. Actually, to be totally honest, I haven't met her yet either. Master told us that the Princess of Shadow has dark hair; I got into a fight with a woman earlier who kind of looked like her, but this one had blonde hair and blue eyes. Perhaps she is somehow connected to our target, but I have yet to obtain any useful information about her."

"Another woman? But we do not yet understand anything about her? Does Master know about this?"

"I kind of think he doesn't. After all, I have seen the blonde one perhaps two or three times already but he was never with me when I saw her."

"While I am out here, I may have to investigate this new 'friend' of ours."

"I should warn you, then, Pride: that woman should not be trifled with. She almost killed Shaikh Ethe and all he could do to her in return was leave a small cut on her cheek."

"Now you have piqued my interest irrevocably. She is really so powerful? I must see this with my own eyes."

"I want to fight her again, too. When she and I fought, I felt an incredible power coming from her. Neither of us were able to land any decisive blows, but she easily has the power to best all of us. I wonder why she was holding back…"

 _I don't think I want to tell him yet that I think she and Ganondorf have the same powers. For now, that'll be something I keep to myself._ Kyoshiro thought, feeling sure that if anyone else found out about the girl's powers they would tell Ganondorf himself.

"May I ask, by the way, why you are skulking about in the dead of night?"

"Well, Ruellian and I were told to do a job. We did, and then the blonde one unexpectedly crossed paths with us. Ruellian is really pissed at her for injuring Shaikh Ethe, so she wanted to fight the woman. But I want to fight her too. Ruellian got mad at me for getting in the way." Kyoshiro scoffed.

 _Ah! There we go: if Ruellian tried to fight the blonde woman that must mean that Ruellian absolutely is not the same person who approached us in the forest. If Ruellian is going to fight her, then we should count the woman who calls herself Azera among our allies as far as I am concerned._

 _Although it is rather amusing… Ruellian does not realize that Zelda was actually the one who injured Shaikh Ethe while under Hylia's influence. But I rather like this ruse, so we will keep deceiving them for as long as possible._

"Ruellian acts like quite the child sometimes." Wrath casually remarked.

"Ha, you're telling me! If you ask her, though, she will adamantly tell you about how childish **I** always act. Women." Kyoshiro looked thoroughly annoyed.

"What do you intend on doing now?"

"Eh, I don't really have anything going on. If Master needs my assistance, I'll give it. Probably just swing back to the Headquarters for now. This place… honestly, it is kind of depressing."

Wrath chuckled at Kyoshiro's assessment.

"Oh, uh, sorry, by the way, about trying to attack you. I just felt like someone was following me, so I was only trying to defend myself. If I had realized it was you, I wouldn't have stayed in hiding."

"No harm, no foul. I accept your apology; after all, it would have taken more than that for you to catch me by surprise anyway." Wrath mused.

"Don't I know it. Anyway, mind giving me back my sword?"

"Of course." Wrath's shadowy hand tossed the sword over to Kyoshiro, who deftly grabbed it out of the air. The Hylian swordsman wordlessly sheathed his great sword and looked back over at Wrath.

"You know, all of that training Master had me do with you really paid off the other day."

"Oh?"

"That blonde woman, she tried to manipulate my shadow. But since I had been so used to being controlled by you during my training, it was quite simple to shake her off of me."

"Hah, most impressive. But wait a moment… I thought the dark-haired woman was the one who controlled the shadows? There is another who can use the powers passed down by my people? This is quite curious indeed."

"Y-yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't think about that back when she and I were fighting. But about that, how can the dark-haired woman use your powers anyway? I thought you were the only one who knew how to use magic like that."

"As did I. Surely nobody in all of Charcai has powers like mine, so it comes as a bit of a surprise to me that a foreigner—and a woman no less—was able to learn how to control the shadows."

"Well, I am sure we will see the mysterious blonde woman again. I'm not even sure why she's out here or what she hopes to accomplish, but I don't think we can afford to ignore her."

"And yet you are leaving?"

"If I'm told to come out here, I will. But why should I waste my time wandering around this miserable, sparsely populated, strange land?"

"If you want to find her, you should probably do it when you are not with Ruellian. Am I wrong?"

"I-I guess. Bah, this is going to be a pain. What's your plan?"

"I can tell that you tampered with the shrine that was hiding on Mount Samekh. Shall we wait up there? The dark-haired woman is sure to show up, right?"

"But I don't care about—" Kyoshiro began.

"Surely you must be able to guess that the blonde one is working with the dark-haired one. Why else would they have identical powers? They were probably trained by the same person."

"That would certainly be the most plausible answer. So you think we should go back up the mountain? I won't go if Ruellian is still there. I have no energy to deal with her right now."

"I will be able to tell if she is still there when we get closer to the top."

"How about now?"

"Hm… there are too many other unfamiliar presences which are interfering."

"Unfamiliar…? Oh, it must be Master's brother then. You haven't met him either, though I did see him earlier. I gotta say, he seems pretty useless. He didn't do a damn thing while the blonde woman was keeping me busy. I never expected that I would have to consider a woman to be a bigger threat than a man. If he's climbing to the summit, we won't really have to worry much."

"But Kyoshiro, you must not have heard. Master Kkladekk fought with his brother before, and he returned to us injured." Wrath pointed out, knowing full well that Kyoshiro would not remember that _he was actually the one_ who injured Kkladekk.

"What?! Master was hurt…? This is the first I'm hearing about it. Well if that's true, I guess we owe his brother a little payback." Kyoshiro seemed more fired up now.

"Master would be most pleased if we dealt with them, so it seems like a good use of our time to meet up with them: come." With that, Wrath started up Mount Samekh. He was planning to give Kyoshiro the slip in the dark so he could return to Zelda. He had learned quite a lot while talking to their friend, and was hoping to pass along the information to his partner…

While Wrath was busy with Kyoshiro, Zelda and everyone else had already started to scale Mount Samekh.

 _It seems quiet here, entirely too quiet. I know: the wolves all probably ran off after they sent out the signal to us. But even still… oh! Of course that must be why: where did Wrath go?_ Zelda absentmindedly glanced around, but she had to admit to herself that the gesture was useless. Of course she was not going to be able to see him, given that she could not sense his presence among the group at all. He had almost never separated himself from her during the time that they had been traveling together, so this sudden change of behavior caught her off guard.

As Zelda was glancing around, Zukto looked her way out of curiosity. He thought it looked like she was looking for something, but he had no idea what she was so interested in. Their eyes met for a brief moment; Zelda was the first to break eye contact with him.

 _I need to find Ruellian and force her to tell me what she did with my sister. I will not be able to sleep knowing that she could be hurt, let alone interact with my friends in a calm manner. Every second I waste here, that could mean that my sister…_ Zelda's chest felt weighed down by a heavy tide of dread.

 _If your sister is suffering, we will be sure to make them suffer ten times as much._ Demise promised.

 _Absolutely. If someone dares to threaten my family, I have no mercy to spare for them. My parents were already taken away from me, so I cannot afford to mess this up. If I lost my sister too, I…_ Zelda clenched her hands, trying to stay her nerves.

Zelda did not talk to her friends as they climbed. She was too focused on every little sound she heard on the mountain path, trying to discern whether Ruellian was waiting in ambush for them. After all, she had tried to ambush them on this very same path just a day prior.

As they climbed higher, the dark energy emanating from the earth grew stronger. At first it was only slight, not enough to be of concern. But the closer they got to the summit, the more the very air itself weighed them down.

"Wh-what in Din's name is this…? I have never experienced such a crushing feeling before." Zukto staggered slightly.

"This is the influence of Krandses. I believe that I can lessen the negative effects of this horrible power, but I cannot completely erase them until we find the shrine that has been corrupted. If we can find the shrine, we can return Mount Samekh to its pure and peaceful state. We must attend to this matter with all due haste, because these tainted shrines increase not only His power but the powers of those who are loyal to him. If we should meet any of his servants, we must be prepared for a tough fight." Ricando explained. He held his staff aloft, and a faint glowing light washed over Zukto and everyone else.

Zelda immediately noticed that the crushing dread she had been feeling dissipated somewhat when Ricando used his magic.

 _Aahh, even that slight improvement makes me feel quite relieved… okay, I need to collect myself. We may have a tough fight on our hands not long from now. I need to make sure I make the most efficient use my powers._

 _Princess._ A voice suddenly interjected in her head.

"Wrath?!" Zelda accidentally said out loud, surprised to suddenly hear from her partner who had mysteriously vanished for at least several hours.

 _I caught you that unawares? Zelda, you cannot afford to be so careless out here. Surely you know that?_

 _Do not give me that, Wrath; you completely disappeared for hours without saying a single word!_

 _Now, now, I have some really interesting intel to share with you. So I suggest that—_ Before Wrath could finish speaking, however, a piercing howl interrupted the otherwise quiet hike they had been having.

"What in Farore's name…?" Link muttered, looking around.

"It came from the summit; come! Whatever it is, be ready for a fight!" Zelda warned her friends as she charged ahead, trying to focus her mental energy on the task at hand.

"Zelda, wait! You need to stop charging ahead on your own!" Zukto yelled out exasperatedly, trying to catch up with her. Link quickly followed suit, knowing they were going to need all the manpower they could muster in order to fight whatever beast was waiting for them.

 _Hm, suppose I will just have to wait to discuss my findings with everyone. Let's see this so-called giant beast, shall we? Alright Azera, I am willing to trust you. Don't let me down._

At the top of the summit, Azera was standing her ground before the massive beast that Ruellian had created.

"What is your strategy, dear Azera?" Kaepora Gaebora inquired.

"Honestly, I don't really have one. I suppose that my sister would be able to come up with one, since she is so experienced on the battlefield. But for me, I just need to consider this as 'on the job training,' right? All I can do is try a little bit of everything until I find something that works!"

"Hoo, oh my. I hope that your parents do not require that I report to them about what we did over here, because I am sure that this will vex them to no end."

"Hey now, Kaepora, I am no longer a mere Hylian girl. Remember that: I am Azera, the Demigod of Red Lions!" She declared, smiling with an energetic gleam in her eyes.

"Hmhmhm, indeed you are. Now how about we show this beast what fate awaits it when it stands in our way?" Kaepora Gaebora took to the skies once more, thinking that if he and Azera stayed separated the massive, four-legged beast would be too distracted by all of the movement. The beast lunged at Azera first, who was still on the ground.

"Farore's Breath, the very wind itself, bring me to safety!" As Azera uttered the incantation, a strong gust of wind blew past the beast and gently carried Azera out of harm's way. When the monster realized that the person who it tried to attack was no longer in front of it, it seemed quite bemused.

Just as Azera was preparing a counter attack, a shadow darted past her on the ground and attached itself to the two-headed beast's shadow. Unexpectedly, the beast's left paw raised up and swatted at Azera. Azera, blind sighted by the monster's sudden movement, did not have time to defend herself. The force of the giant paw sent her flying.

"Hah, what a complete fool: never let your guard down during a fight! Though I guess I ought to not be terribly surprised: the first time you and I fought was not much a challenge either!" Zelda declared smugly as she positioned herself at the center of the summit after she watched the blonde-haired girl go flying off the edge of the mountain. The giant beast now focused its attention on her, two heads snarling.

Unbeknownst to Zelda, since her attention was focused on the two-headed, dog-like creature, the large owl that had been circling above the mountain dove after Azera.

"I suppose that the warning Wrath conveyed to us was true: there is indeed a giant beast here. No matter: I would have had to fight whatever strange creature got dumped up here regardless."

"Zelda! Are you okay?!" Zukto hurriedly asked as he joined her.

"I am fine. We will have to work together though to take this thing down, so I must count on your support."

"You know that I will always fight by your side."

"I am relieved that I can trust my allies in a fight. I was able to control this thing's paw before because its attention was focused on the blonde woman. Now that it is focused on us, however, it will put up a much greater fight against my attempts to control it. To make the most of my powers, everyone will need to attack it together."

"I think we can manage that, although, we would do well to stay away from its giant paws." Link looked a bit nervous as he joined Zukto and Zelda.

"Ah, yes, do take care not to get hit by one of them. I sent that woman flying with one of them." Zelda chuckled to herself.

"Wait, what woman?" Link asked, looking perturbed.

"That is neither here nor there. Time to do battle!" Zelda declared.

The giant beast lunged at the group. Link quickly jumped to the side out of the monster's path. Zelda immediately threw up a shield to stop it from plowing into Zukto or herself, but the force of the impact the beast made against her shield nearly winded the princess.

"Sh-shit, I probably should… not do that again." She gasped slightly, staring straight into the dog-monster's eyes. It gnashed its teeth at the two of them as her shield faded.

Zukto, thinking that the two-headed creature would be even harder to control since it had two heads, believed that their best bet would be to keep the two heads separated from each other.

"Zelda, get it to bow one of its heads to the ground. If I climb up on it, it'll be distracted right?"

"Are you insane?! Even just one of its heads is bigger than you!"

"We have to do insane things sometimes. Am I wrong?" Zukto shrugged, looking almost amused at himself. Zelda shook her head slightly, wondering if her life was always going to be full of these moments that would horrify any sane person.

"Alright, this is your call." Zelda stated, knowing that Zukto would probably try something ridiculous with or without her help. She quickly extended her shadow and linked it to the dog's shadow, which it did not like. The beast tried to shake her off, and it almost succeeded, but Zelda noticed just in time that additional shadows had attached themselves to the dog's shadow. When she looked around, she realized that the other shadows were Wrath's doing.

"I did not think it best to allow you to be sent flying off the edge of the mountain." Wrath shook his head at her, not even looking at the many shadowy hands that had appeared to help the princess.

"You can control so many at once!" She remarked, intrigued.

"Y-yeah. It's only natural, since I have had my powers for many Hylian lifetimes already."

"Come on, we need to make it bow its head down." Zelda directed.

"A simple task when we combine our powers." Wrath replied matter-of-factly as he applied pressure towards the ground. Slowly, the beast was not able to fight the influences of both Zelda and Wrath: it bowed one of its heads to the ground. Zukto quickly climbed on top of the dog-like monster's head, and then climbed up its neck so he could get up onto its back.

"Wrath, we need to hold it until Zukto is safe. He is too vulnerable while climbing its neck." Zelda observed.

"Just focus. We should be able to manage this if we use our powers simultaneously."

Zelda had every intention of doing exactly that, but the woman that she had thrown off the mountain earlier had other plans…

Kaepora Gaebora had caught Azera from the air and flew her back to the summit, knowing that she wanted to be in the middle of everything. She temporarily lost consciousness when the beast hit her off the cliff, but as her owl friend was flying her back to the top of the mountain she recovered.

"Ah?! Oh, Kaepora, we're flying?" Azera asked, trying to figure out how long she had blacked out for.

"Hoo, we're almost back at the top. Want me to drop you off?"

"Yes, but don't go too far okay?"

"Of course not, hoo. I must make sure that you're going to be okay."

When Kaepora thought that he was directly above the summit, he let go of Azera. Using the same power she used earlier, Azera slowed her fall to a safe speed by summoning a gust of wind that flew up into the sky. When she touched down on the ground, she saw that her sister and a strange shadowy being were facing the dog-like beast without any weapons to defend themselves.

"Sister! That creature is dangerous! You must fall back!" Azera declared in a panic.

Zelda was at first confused about who was yelling 'sister.' Then she realized what was going on, and her mood shifted instantaneously.

"I thought I told you to never show your face around me, you pathetic wretch!" Zelda bellowed, dropping her shadow's connection to the beast as she turned to face the blonde woman who she threw off the cliff earlier. The woman seemed to be completely unfazed by her trip down the mountain, which took Zelda by surprise.

Wrath briefly thought about scolding Zelda for losing her concentration, but decided against it. After all, Zukto still needed help. While Wrath was not opposed to Zelda being taught a lesson, he did not want to sacrifice Zukto in order to make a point. He felt like he had power to spare, so he simply summoned another shadowy hand to hold the beast down in Zelda's place.

"Why are you even here? Do you not have anything better to do than be a thorn in my side?" Zelda sneered as she stopped before the blonde woman.

"Sister, please! I wish not to be a burden or a thorn or a hindrance! I shall swear that my powers are yours to command, yours to harness as the situation may demand them."

"Your powers are mine to command? Then I command you to get the hell out of my face and you are never to come looking for us again. Am I making myself clear?" Zelda's red eyes pierced through the darkness not unlike a feral animal's. Azera found herself unnerved by her sister's cold stare and harsh demeanor; she was nothing like this back when they had played together at the castle.

"I cannot agree to that, sister! You are making a mistake by shutting me out! I came all the way out here to be by your side, after all! Please, just listen to me!"

"Hah, right, I shall foolishly let some stranger, who claims to be my eight-year-old sister, come along with me. And then I will be dead before sunrise, or worse. I may have a shitty life, but I am not in a hurry to die. You can tell Kkladekk that for me, if you would.

I still have unfinished business to settle with him, and settling that business is the singular purpose of my existence. I will not allow a single thing, or person, to stop me. Least of all an insane woman who thinks she could fool me, Wisdom itself, into thinking that she could be my sister. Get over yourself."

"Okay, sister… I did not want to do this, but I suppose that you are not going to listen to reason. You may be Wisdom, but you are more stubborn than a Hylian mule! I will fight you until you are too tired to fight back, so then you will be forced to talk to me."

"Pretty big talk from someone who stood no chance against me yesterday; I suppose I ought to recognize that you have guts, but at this point in time you are coming off as desperate more than anything else. Nobody likes desperation."

"I'll make you wish that you had swallowed your pride and listened to what I have to say."

"I honestly would love to see you try. You will struggle, and fail, and that will be quite satisfying for me." Zelda chuckled.

"Sister, I apologize for anything I am about to do! However, it is clear that this is my only option." Azera declared as arrows of light began to materialize around her.

 _Wh-what in Nayru's name…?! Arrows of light like from the legends? How can Ruellian use them?_ Zelda had to admit to herself that she was getting nervous now.

While Zelda was distracted by the fight she started with Azera, Zukto had climbed up onto the beast's back. When Wrath noticed that Zukto's hands were free, he let go of the beast's head. The creature did not seem to realize that Zukto was there, as it simply raised one of its paws and tried to swat Wrath away. Wrath quickly melted into his own shadow, avoiding the attack all together. The beast frantically looked around, not sure where the shadowy being had disappeared to.

Link watched Zelda confront the blonde haired woman, and he knew that they were fighting, but he felt like Zukto needed his help more than anyone else did. Though his sword was useless for the time being, as he could not get close enough to the beast to land any kind of effective attack, he still had arrows. He was trying to shoot the beast's face, as that seemed to be the most likely weak spot. The first couple of shots missed their mark, either landing on the ground right in front of the beast or flying by as the creature moved around.

 _Ugh, damn this thing. I cannot shoot it because it moves so sporadically. I wonder though… Zukto has a pretty good vantage point. If he could just get the beast to look at him, then…_

"Wrath, we need the beast to look at Zukto. If Zukto draws his bow and waits, he could fire an arrow into one of its eyes as soon as it looks in his direction. That is the only idea I have so far." Link explained.

"That sounds good to me, anything that can incapacitate this creature should be pursued with all due haste." Wrath extended his shadow once more and connected it to the dog's, this time to force it to look over its own shoulder. Two shadowy hands wrapped themselves around one of the dog's necks, which the beast did not appreciate. It vigorously shook its whole body, an amount of movement that Zukto had not been ready for. He fell over, grabbing onto the beast's fur to make sure that he did not get thrown off in the process.

"Shit! I can't see Zukto anymore! Is he still up there?" Link looked worried.

"I have no idea, but for now I have to get a better grip on this thing." Wrath observed. Another shadowy hand snaked its way up the beast's body, ready to help the other two.

The beast was clearly having trouble fighting off Wrath, but only one of its heads was bound. The head that was still free to move around opened its mouth, and its chest expanded a bit.

"Uhm, Wrath, I think we need to back away. Now." Link warned, not liking the beast's behavior.

"Why? What's happening?" Wrath did not seem to notice what Link saw.

"He's about to breathe fire." Link pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Shit, are you kidding me?! Grab onto me." Wrath quickly withdrew his shadow from the beast's and then carried both himself and Link to safety with his cocoon of darkness. The two of them just barely escaped the trajectory of the flames. When Link got his vision back, he realized that he and Wrath were now on the beast's back along with Zukto.

"Oh, hey guys." Zukto calmly greeted them as he stood up.

"So here's the plan, Zukto. We need to make the beast look over here. When we do that, you and I can both shoot one of its eyes. If we can incapacitate one of its heads, that would make this fight much easier." Link explained.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me. Wrath, you'll be in charge of getting its attention?" Zukto asked as he drew his bow.

"Of course, since our dear Princess seems to think that other matters are more important than fighting a fierce, two-headed creature…" Wrath did not seem amused at all.

"Yeah, um, speaking of that… is she okay?" Zukto asked, furrowing his brow.

"Okay is such a relative term. I believe that she is so angry that she cannot think straight, which means we will have a hard time getting some sense back into her. Oh, yes, since we have a moment… I believe I have proof that leads me to believe that the blonde woman who we saw earlier is in fact not Ruellian."

"Oh?" Link and Zukto both looked interested.

"I snuck away from the group while you were heading towards Mount Samekh. I met up with Kyoshiro because he tried to attack me. When he saw me, however, he mistook me for someone else. Remember that his memories of us seem to have been completely erased or buried? They are buried to the point that he saw me and instantly thought of someone else. I have no idea who he thought I was, but he actually had a civil conversation with me. That leads me to believe that Kyoshiro, while working with Kkladekk, has met someone who looks exactly like me." Wrath paused for a moment. This news took Zukto and Link completely by surprise.

"Wh-whoah, there is another just like you? I thought they were all banished to that parallel world though?" Zukto asked, remembering the conversation he had before with just Zelda and Wrath.

"I thought the same thing. But I guess that somewhere here on Charcai, one yet lives."

"Well, um, don't get me wrong: this is a pretty big development. However, you mentioned getting proof of the blonde woman's identity?" Zukto interjected.

"Yes. While speaking with Kyoshiro, he revealed to me that Ruellian is absolutely furious with the woman who calls herself Azera to the point that if she sees her, she wants to fight her. I highly doubt, then, that the blonde one is allied with Ruellian. And if Ruellian wants to fight her, it stands to reason that she cannot possibly be Ruellian." Wrath explained.

"Honestly, I already assumed that the blonde one was not Ruellian. Even if Ruellian's goal was to deceive Zelda, Ruellian knows Zelda at least well enough to know that Zelda would not fall for such a trick. Or you could say that Kkladekk knows Zelda well enough to know that such a ruse would be useless. So if Ruellian's goal is to deceive Zelda, she would not conjure up an image of a woman who does not exist yet. Azera is much too young to look that grown up, no matter how you look at it." Link pointed out.

"Okay, so we're only sure that the blonde one is not Ruellian. But that doesn't explain who she is." Zukto added.

"If she is actually Zelda's sister, why are they fighting?" Link interjected.

"Yeah, that's certainly making this situation a lot more confusing." Zukto sighed.

"I for one believe that the blonde woman is indeed Azera." Wrath stated simply.

"Wh-what?! How?" Zukto looked unnerved.

"Well, we do not have the full story yet. I am willing to wait until we do." Wrath explained.

"What story could there possibly be other than this woman is lying about who she is?" Zukto just could not understand how Wrath was able to believe their mysterious visitor.

"Look, let me put it this way: everyone, including Zelda, was operating under the assumption that Azera was an ordinary child. That narrative has to be fundamentally false." Wrath postulated. Everyone else stared at him in stunned silence.

"So what you're suggesting is that Azera is not a normal Hylian child? That would explain her inexplicable growth spurt, but… if she's not a Hylian child then what in Din's name is she?" Link marveled. Zukto was equally as mystified by Wrath's hypothesis, but it did make some kind of sense.

"You know, we've seen some strange things already. I feel like we have no choice but to accept that Wrath's point has merit." Zukto laughed exasperatedly.

"But the important part will be getting Zelda to accept Azera for who she is. We will not be able to proceed with much of anything until we can clear up this matter, I fear." Wrath sighed.

"We cannot force Zelda to accept anything: she has to come to the proper conclusions on her own. All we can do is secretly encourage Azera to interact with Zelda whenever possible. They are sisters, after all, so if anything… the only way Zelda can face the truth about her sister is if they face it together." Zukto guessed.

"Um, speaking of the sisters… I can't see them anymore." Link interjected.

"Wait, what…?!" Zukto frantically looked around, and realized the truth in what Link said: they were no longer on the summit of the mountain. Instead, they were surrounded by large, stone walls.

"Did… the beast take us into its lair?" Link furrowed his brow.

"When I transported me and you onto its back, it probably figured that it did not need to stand guard anymore." Wrath guessed.

"But Zelda was still out there… why didn't it go after her?" Zukto looked worried.

"Let us be thankful that the beast lost interest in her. Zelda has no business fighting her sister and this monster by herself." Wrath pointed out.

"Well, um, the beast is laying down I notice. Wrath, can you transport us off of the creature's back? I figure we must be somewhere within Mount Samekh itself: the shrine that Ricando was talking about has to be in here, right? We ought to look for it." Link suggested.

"Speaking of Ricando… he must… be too far away from us now. I feel awful." Zukto held his left hand over his forehead, feeling a crushing weight bear down on him.

"I… I truthfully do not feel anything." Wrath stated, looking surprised.

"We might have to rely on you, Wrath, to fight on our behalf. I must admit that my limbs are entirely too heavy to be of use right now. We can move slowly through the system of tunnels to see if we can find anything noteworthy." Link proposed.

"Alright everyone, we stick together then." Wrath's dark cocoon wrapped them up and carried them away from their two-headed foe.

"Alright, Sister, I can tell that you are getting tired. Please, let us call this off and have a civil discussion." Azera offered, truly wanting to put an end to the fighting. This just made Zelda even angrier, however, as she felt as though the blonde woman was patronizing her.

"Shut the hell up, Ruellian! I do not need your pity or concern. And I have no desire to talk to you about anything! You have thrown your lot in with a man who is directly responsible for the death of my parents! The cursed mark upon my face is also his handiwork: why in Nayru's name would you delude yourself into thinking I would ever be desperate enough to talk to you about anything?! You think what he is doing is okay! You are despicable! I have suffered, for so long, because of Kkladekk! You deserve no mercy either because you support him! I will not rest until you are dead; do you hear me, Ruellian?!" Zelda screamed, her anger and frustration quickly reaching an apex. Azera was completely blind sighted by Zelda's accusations.

"Wa-wait a second, Sister, I do not understand. Your parents, I mean, our parents, the King and Queen of Hyrule… they are still alive. You were with them not even a week ago; you could not have forgotten about that so soon, could you?"

"Yeah, okay, play ignorant for all I care. You knew the entire time, did you not? Kkladekk was keeping tabs on me even before I started my training. He was watching me from the shadows, and then he got Ganondorf to kill my defenseless parents when no one else was around. This has been going on for years, and you have known about all of it from the beginning. You cannot fool me." Zelda was breathing heavily, covering the right side of her face with her right hand. Azera stared at her sister's piercing red eye and the mysterious mark that only recently had appeared on her face.

"… Zelda, my sister, there is a lot that happened in your life even before I came into this world. And even though we slowly closed the gap between our hearts as we got older, you still have kept me ignorant of so many things. I do not understand this business about dead parents, because our parents are still alive. But I cannot understand if you do not explain anything to me. So please, we must stop fighting. We need to close this gap between us once and for all." Azera stared intensely at her older sister, trying to make the older princess drop her guard. Zelda momentarily seemed like she was considering Azera's words, but she quickly went back on the offensive.

"Fuck you, trying to act like you know me! You understand nothing! You piss me off so much, you reprobate little imp!" Zelda practically spat. Azera was shocked at her sister's language.

"I am not an imp, but you are being nonsensical! Of course I understand nothing: you made damn sure of that, didn't you?!" Azera blurted out.

"Nonsensical?! That is awfully rich coming from the grown woman who thinks she can pass as an eight-year-old girl!"

"I never said that I was eight years old, so give it a rest already!" Azera demanded. This took Zelda completely by surprise.

"Wh-what did you just say?"

"I said that I never said how old I was! I get it: I do not look like a little girl. Of course I don't! What would you have said if I came running up to you looking like an actual eight year old?! You still would have been suspicious of me: admit it!" Azera looked frustrated.

"Well, I—I, of course I would! What little girl would run away from home?!"

"I am not a little girl! Sister, our parents hid the truth about me from you: I never was, and never will be, a normal Hylian girl." Azera looked pained. Zelda immediately dropped her defensive stance.

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Zelda, my dear Sister… I died on the same day I was born." Azera looked Zelda straight in the eyes. Zelda wanted to look away suddenly, but the blonde-haired woman began to walk closer. Zelda felt panicked, and threw out a shadowy hand in front of her. The hand grabbed Azera by the throat. Azera coughed slightly, but she defiantly stared Zelda down.

"If you wanted to kill me like this, you should have finished it the first time." Azera said darkly. Zelda gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. She was horrified, her mind being flooded with the memories of the day the woman was referring to. When Zelda's hands covered her mouth, the shadowy hand that was connected to Azera disappeared.

"Oh merciful Gods, my sister will never forgive me…! I almost killed her…! I almost… shit, I am the worst princess in Hyrule's history… I…" Zelda's gaze did not seem to be focused on any particular thing now as she mumbled to herself, trapped in a maze of her own thoughts and regrets.

"Just get away from me!" Zelda tore past Azera, trying to run away from her memories as much as trying to put distance between herself and the woman who brought them to the forefront of her mind.

 _I thought you were going to take her out. She is lying to you, you know._

"Just stop, p-please, just leave me be…! If I hurt her, I will never forgive…" Zelda stammered as she ran straight into the den of the two-headed beast. She wanted to be alone, but nothing could separate her from the soul of Demise.

"… Who am I kidding…? I do not deserve forgiveness anyway. What kind of older sister almost kills her eight-year-old sibling? I am absolute trash." Zelda leaned against the wall of the cave, covering her face with her hands. She could still plainly see the look of pain, fear, and confusion on the face of the innocent Hylian princess…

"… Damn that woman to hell! How dare she mettle in my personal affairs like that!" The older Hylian Princess fumed.

Back on the summit of Mount Samekh, Azera was still standing where Zelda had left her. She was wordlessly staring at the ground when Kaepora Gaebora gently touched down next to her. He extended a wing over her shoulders as if wrapping an arm around her to comfort her.

"Just because you could not reach her this time does not mean that you will fail every time. We will just need to try again, hoo." The wise old owl soothed.

"… My sister… she is in so much pain." Azera quietly observed out loud, mostly directing the comment at herself.

"What could have possibly happened to her? I just… I am at a loss for words. There is so much that I do not understand. I want to help her, Uncle, more than anything. But I never realized that it would be so hard. What should I do?!" Azera's eyes welled up with tears.

Before Kaepora could answer her, someone made their presence known to Azera because she could hear the sound of shifting gravel underneath of a boot.

"Someone's there?!" Azera hurriedly wiped tears from her eyes and glanced around.

In the moonlight, she saw Kyoshiro standing there.

"It's you!" Kyoshiro exclaimed.

"Please, Mr. Swordsman, you know my sister! You must help me! She will not listen to anything I say!" Azera quickly closed the gap between herself and Kyoshiro, though he nervously backed up a bit when he thought that she was getting too close to him.

"L-Look, I thought we went over this before. I have no idea who you are or who your sister is. And anyway, if you two have a problem then you guys gotta sort it out by yourselves."

"But how can I sort it out when she will not listen to me?!"

 _I-is this… the first time someone has ever wanted me to give them advice about a personal problem…? I… I honestly have no idea how to react to this. Is this something that regular people do, ask strangers for help?_ Kyoshiro was bemused by Azera's behavior.

"Look, lady, I don't really give advice to people. I probably would give bad advice anyway, because I don't have any problems. Your problem is that you care too much about what your sister thinks. Just do what I do and ignore everything and everyone. No one can hurt you if you don't let them."

Azera was very put off by his 'advice.'

"You must be lying to me! There is no way you would want to ignore everyone. What about your family and friends?"

"Wh-what about them?" Kyoshiro started to sulk, not making eye contact with her.

"Oh! Are you acting like that because you actually want to approach them but don't know how to?" Azera's eyes lit up hopefully. That hit a mark that Kyoshiro did not want to admit existed.

"Sh-shut up! I'm out of here!"

"Wait, you came up here for a reason! People would not climb this mountain for no reason!"

"Wh-who cares what my reason was?"

 _Th-this girl, what's her deal? Why is she starting to remind me of…_

"Hey, wait a second. Why are you dressed like that? Those clothes look way too nice to be wearing in a place like this. Did you… _climb the mountain_ wearing that dress?" Kyoshiro was stunned. Azera looked down at what she was wearing and then back at the tall swordsman. For some reason, she could not hold back a snicker.

"You seem shocked." She grinned.

"Well, yeah, women are always complaining about how hard it is to get all dressed up and stuff and yet here you are, fully dressed up and climbing mountains. Who are you…?"

"I am Princess Azera of Hyrule!" She declared proudly.

"W-wait a second, you…? But, she's just a little girl. You, you're not a little girl no matter how I look at you. C'mon now, did you think I was that gullible?" He frowned.

"You see my tabard, do you not? I believe that my tabard has the Crest of the Royal Family on it." Azera even lifted up her tabard to illustrate her point.

"I, I see that… but… you're… you're too old to be the Princess. I often visit the Castle, you know, because of work, but I never saw a princess as old as you there."

"You think the King of Hyrule, my Father, would really just readily spill his secrets to any commoner who walked through?" Azera asked incredulously.

"C-Commoner? Hey, do you have any idea who you're talking to? I am one of Hyrule's greatest bounty hunters, I'll have you know."

"A bounty hunter you may be, but that is not a mutually exclusive label from commoner. I am positive that you are not of royal blood since I never saw you at any of the parties at the Castle. Only people with connections to the Royal Family can attend, you know."

"L-look, there's more to life than just the status society slaps you with when you're born. What makes a man isn't the title given to him by someone else: a man's worth is made apparent when he uses his powers and affects change. I may be a 'commoner,' according to you, but I am infinitely more useful than any stuffy bureaucrat because I can build stuff, hunt for food, and protect anyone who can't protect themselves." Kyoshiro scowled.

"Oh, my, you're wise too." Azera smiled, clearly impressed with the swordsman. Kyoshiro quickly looked away from her, feeling embarrassed.

"A-Are you making fun of me?"

"No, of course not. My father, the King, often says that he is frustrated by bureaucrats because they never get anything done except tell other people that they're not doing enough."

"Oh yeah? I guess our King really isn't so bad. I never met the guy, though."

"Thank you, Mr. Swordsman, for chasing dangerous criminals. That's what you do as a bounty hunter, correct?"

"Just call me Kyoshiro. And yeah, I've done that many times. It's no big deal. I gotta make money somehow."

"You're willing to put yourself at risk for the sake of others. I think that is very admirable."

"Admirable? C'mon, give me a break… I've never really gone out of my way to do anything for anyone. I can't take credit that I don't deserve."

"Why not start now?"

"Start what?" Kyoshiro looked incredulous.

"Help me get back together with my sister!"

"N-not this again! Look, I don't even believe you when you say that you're Princess Azera, okay? First off, Princess Azera is really young. And why would Princess Azera be out here by herself? Do you even know where you are, Miss? We're at the top of a really tall mountain, but not a Hylian mountain. No, we're in an entirely different world. See all of that land sprawled out underneath us? None of that is Hyrule. And, this is even more evidence that proves your claim cannot be correct… The King of Hyrule only has one daughter." Kyoshiro explained, crossing his arms expectantly.

"I know that we're not in Hyrule anymore, sheesh! I came here willingly, and I came here because I knew that my sister would be here."

"But, you don't understand. Coming here isn't like riding on a horse from Castle Town to Kakariko Village. You can't just come here whenever you want, you'd have to—" Kyoshiro started.

"Maybe an ordinary person cannot come here whenever he wants to, but I am not an ordinary person." Azera proclaimed.

"Oh, what does that even mean?" Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow at Zelda's younger sister.

"I was born the Princess of Hyrule, but actually, that title no longer accurately reflects who I am. I am Azera, the Demigod of Red Lions."

"W-wait a second, did you just say demigod?" Kyoshiro could not hide the look of amazement on his face.

"Yes, that is correct. I am not a mortal, Kyoshiro. I am a messenger of the Golden Goddesses themselves, and I am here because I have business here. I was going to return to Hyrule when I smoothed things out with my sister."

"Whoah… I am talking to a demigod? Well, demigoddess I guess. I, er, sorry, about earlier. You're not going to punish me, are you, for being skeptical? I just… I have never talked to a god before, or anything of the sort."

"It's okay, Kyoshiro: I am happy enough that you were willing to listen to me. I have not had a very good day so far, truth be told. But talking to you has cheered me up quite a bit."

"Er, yeah, okay, no problem. I think. Um, anyway, so, your sister. What's your sister like? Is she… also a demigod?" Kyoshiro was starting to wonder what he was getting himself mixed up in.

"No, my sister is a mortal woman. She is the Princess of Hyrule."

"But Azera, I mean you… um, okay, so let's say I believe you. What's your sister's name?"

"Princess Zelda."

"… Zelda?!" Kyoshiro looked like something clicked in his brain.

"So you do know her!" Azera exclaimed.

"N-no, it's not like that! I told you, I never met your Father. I also never met you, for that matter. I don't think I would have met your sister either, given the circumstances. I mean, if I had met the Princess of Hyrule I think I would remember something like that. But anyway, the King never had a daughter named Zelda. Just Azera."

 _But wow, that was weird… when I heard that name… something felt so incredibly familiar to me. Why does hearing that name make me feel this way…?_

"There are a lot of secrets the Royal Family keeps. My eldest sister, Princess Zelda, is one of the big secrets we've been keeping."

"So, um, I don't mean any disrespect here Miss Demigod, but um… if they're secrets you're not supposed to just run around telling people about them. That means they aren't secret anymore."

"But I can trust you, right Kyoshiro? I can trust you because we're friends."

"We're frien—now wait a second: you have no idea what you're saying here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Okay, I guess I better explain this to you before you get into trouble. So I have some compatriots you might say. They work in the area. Well, there was this group of troublemakers who got into a place they never should have gotten into. While they were there, one of them critically injured one of my partners. I think he's going to get better, but the wound was very serious. The person who injured him… was you, wasn't it? My partners are looking for you even now. They want revenge for what you did to our partner."

"Oh my, that sounds awful about what happened to your partner. But you misunderstand: this is my first time ever coming to Charcai. I do not know where anything is here, and I certainly have never hurt anyone as badly as you claim I have. What makes you say that it was me?" Azera tilted her head slightly at Kyoshiro.

"The woman was blonde, had blue eyes, and ears like a Hylian. You look exactly like the woman who hurt our partner." Kyoshiro explained.

 _Blonde, blue eyes… so he is not describing my sister, Zelda. There is no way it could be her, since her hair turned dark many months ago. If it was not my sister who injured this person, and it obviously was not me, who else could it have been? Is there_ _ **another**_ _Hylian out here? This is getting to be quite interesting._ Azera looked lost in thought.

"Well, what do you have to say to that?!"

"I am sorry, Kyoshiro, I truly am, but I am not the one who injured your friend. Is there anything else you can tell me about the person who injured your friend?"

"Anything else, um… oh! A scratch! They should still have a scratch on their face under their left eye. I remember seeing it when we fought."

"A scratch? Feel free to observe my face to see if any such mark exists." Azera offered. Kyoshiro squinted his eyes a bit to see if anything would stand out to him, but… he did not see anything. Her skin looked fair and unblemished.

"Oh, I don't see a scratch at all… maybe it really wasn't you then… but you're a demigod! What if you just healed the scratch before coming here?" Kyoshiro pointed out, looking unamused.

"Oh my, I suppose that is a fair suspicion to have." Azera looked like she had not thought of that before.

"A fair suspicion?! So it could still be you, then!"

"I am telling you that it was not. If my word alone is not enough, then all we have to do is find the woman who has the scratch on her face. Right?"

"E-easy for you to say! Who knows where in Charcai she could be!" Kyoshiro seemed flustered.

"I suppose that yes, we may not find who we seek right away. But at any rate, since we are here, we should see my sister. She is inside that monster den over there." Azera pointed over at the wolves' den.

"Your sister… a so-called Princess… went down in there? Why in Din's name would she go someplace like that…?"

"I am honestly not sure why she is hanging out in a place like this, but there is a lot about my sister that I do not understand. Surely you know what I mean." That hit closer to home than she realized. Kyoshiro looked down at the ground for a bit, mumbling "yeah" in return.

"Kyoshiro, I really do appreciate your help. Shall we?" She smiled at him as they began their descent into the wolves' cavern…

 _This whole situation is so out of hand, honestly. I am hanging out with some girl who claims that she was first the Princess of Hyrule and is now some demigod. She seems so sure of herself, but this seems completely ridiculous to me. Demigods don't just go strolling around and talking to random strangers. Right? Don't they have better things to be doing, especially better things than talking to someone like me? How did I get caught up in this? I guess I did approach her first, but that's because I truly thought she was someone else. Ugh, my luck is so horrible. How do I get out of this?_

Ricando had followed Zelda into the den when he watched her run towards it, but the Princess never once stopped to see if anyone was following her. After a short while, he lost sight of her.

 _That woman is lucky that so many divine entities are trying to look out for her, because normally behavior like hers just gets people killed._ Ricando sighed, knowing that there was not really anything he could have done to prevent the situation. After all, he had seen first-hand how impetuous she was.

 _I have not seen Zukto or the others for a while: did they come into the cave before we did? Perhaps that means they are deeper within. If I continue to head towards the center of the cavern, I should be able to find them. And finding the center will be quite easy for me, because I can feel the shrine there. As I get closer, I can feel it with even greater certainty. Krandses' henchmen certainly did a number on it… the power flowing from it is quite troubling. But if everyone helps, we should be able to restore this place to its proper state._

"How long have I been wandering around…?" Zelda muttered to herself, trying to discern any features or anything that would tell her if she was making any progress. But knowing that the series of caverns she was in was merely a home for a pack of wolves, she knew that she should not really expect much besides featureless stone walls and dark pathways. Speaking of dark, she had been expecting the caverns to be completely dark. Instead, it seemed that small, hanging lights were guiding Zelda through each path.

 _Who in Farore's name put these lights here? Surely the wolves did not._

Another thing she made note of was the feeling of dread that was filling her chest again. She had felt a reprieve from it while she had been outside on the summit, but now that she was wandering around inside of the den it was returning with a vengeance.

"Gods, I feel so horrible… like I will be crushed by this tremendous weight… but nothing is actually here to crush me… what could be making me feel this way…? Is it my guilt? My sins? You can take me if you wish, but you must… allow me to get my revenge first. That is all I ask for. When I complete my mission, you may take me for all I care. It is not like I have anything keeping me around, anyway… Hyrule will survive just fine without me, since Azera is there to be its princess." Zelda muttered to herself, partly wishing she could just hide in the caves forever. If this intense weight on her chest was her punishment, she would readily accept it. It was not even a proper punishment, she thought, but it was a start at least.

"Heh, I am certainly Hyrule's worst princess. The most dangerous, the cruelest, the most despicable… I called Ruellian despicable earlier, but perhaps I am just projecting my guilt onto her. After all, how could Ruellian be worse than me, the one who nearly killed her own little sister? If anyone else had tried attacking Azera like that, they would rightly be rotting away in the dungeons for an eternity. So why am I allowed to walk freely? Why am I gallivanting to distant lands, pretending to be some kind of hero? Am I trying to erase my sins by doing good deeds? Heh, I know better… my sins will not be erased so easily. I can pretend all I want to, but I am not fooling the Gods. They see me for what I really am: I am a monster."

 _Who cares what those spineless Gods think. I am much more powerful than all of them combined, anyway._ Demise smirked.

 _I would really rather the Gods left me alone, thanks. They have brought me nothing but suffering. After all, it was you who influenced me to attack my sister in the first place._

 _Are you going to hang that over my head now?_

 _Of course! Why would I not? You are a monster if you think that attacking young children is okay._

 _I do not think about mortals in terms of what life stage they have reached. I merely think about them in terms of how useful they are to me. If they are not useful, I get rid of them._

 _That is not for you to decide!_

 _Oh? So who was it who was allowed to decide that your sister must die on her day of birth, hm?_ Demise sounded quite amused with himself again.

 _Yo-you cannot mean that, that someone actually…_

 _You mean to ask me who decided the girl's fate? You should know the answer to that already, Wisdom. To make sure you cannot feign ignorance, though, the girl was killed by the very same Golden Goddesses you silly mortals seem to take pride in worshipping._

 _Th-that has to be a lie…!_

 _Does it have to be? I wonder._

… _So that means that… my sister really is dead after all…?_

 _She told you herself, right? It's not like I made it up._

 _B-but, she is probably not who she says she is anyway. I cannot trust her._

 _Yeah, she lied to you just like your parents lied to you. Everyone tells you nothing but lies. You do not deserve the truth: that's how they see it._ Demise thought this was the perfect opportunity to manipulate the Princess, since no one was around to stop him.

 _Damn them… always leaving me out of everything…_ The Princess could tell that her body was losing energy by the minute, to the point that even if she wanted to resist Demise she had no way of succeeding. The oppressive magic that poured from the defiled shrine was too much for her to resist on her own, especially with Demise in tow. He seemed to feed off of it at the same rate that she grew weaker.

 _How dare they treat you that way. You know, you are going to be the most powerful woman in Hyrule: you deserve much more respect._

 _I… deserve more respect…_ Zelda's eyes were growing hazy.

 _That's it, my dear, nice and easy… just let me handle everything from here…_ Demise whispered gently in her mind.

 _I shall… let you… handle it…_ With that, Zelda's consciousness slipped away. Her body momentarily slouched against the stone wall of the tunnel she was in, but it did not take long for life to return to the woman's body. A triumphant laugh broke the silence of the underground passageway as Demise, controlling Zelda's body, looked around.

"Finally! It feels wonderful to be in control again." Demise spoke, sounding exactly like Zelda.

"I know the others were talking about looking for some stupid shrine down here. What shall I do: should I try to find the shrine myself? I do not much care one way or the other what kind of state this mountain is in, but tormenting her friends sounds much more enjoyable than anything else I could be doing."

Demise calmly made his way further underground, feeling a strong source of energy in that direction. It stood to reason that the shrine everyone was looking for would be the source of the energy he could sense.

After a bit of a hike through the tunnels, Demise stumbled into a large den that was connected to the underground tunnels. Demise could smell decay before he saw numerous bones strewn about on the ground. The room was empty, at least, so he did not plan to linger.

When he stepped into the center of the room, however, the silence of the cave was interrupted by a vicious-sounding growl.

"Oh my, the mutt from earlier wants to play does it?" Demise smirked as he stood at the ready, waiting for the beast to approach him. Within moments, the beast leapt into the den from an adjacent tunnel. Its two heads snarled and bared their fangs.

"Alright, you mongrel. I think we can play for a bit, since I have not had an opportunity to fight anything recently. But do not expect me to go easy on you." Demise chuckled.

The dog-like beast lunged one of its heads straight for Demise, but he effortlessly used Zelda's powers to extend his shadow. A shadowy hand quickly rose up and slapped the beast's extended head back into the other one before it could grab him, which immediately incapacitated it. The beast fell to the ground in a heap.

"Two heads are clearly not better than one. Hmph, how dull." Just as Demise was considering what to do, he realized that he heard footsteps quickly approaching. Just as he turned around and looked over at the tunnel from where he had come from, a girl with blonde hair rushed into view.

 _Aha, so this is the girl who claims to be our Princess' sister. I should discern for myself what the truth is. If this woman is indeed Princess Azera, things are going to get much more interesting around here._ Demise leisurely approached the blonde woman, who looked a bit on guard.

"D-did you defeat this beast all by yourself? I do not see your friends here." The blonde woman observed with trepidation.

"This beast is more bark than bite, really. Something like this does not stand a chance against me." Demise responded coolly, looking smug.

"W-well, be that as it may…" Azera seemed like she was hesitating about something. Demise looked past the woman and realized that one of the male swordsmen who had been traveling with the Princess, Kyoshiro, was in tow.

"Playing both sides, are we?" Demise teased Kyoshiro, bearing a wicked grin on Zelda's face.

"Excuse me?" Kyoshiro flashed a look at Zelda that seemed to suggest that he did not understand the insinuation. Demise knew full well that the magic being used on the swordsman was altering his memories, just as he personally had tampered with Zelda's memories, so he was going to have fun toying with the Hylian man.

"I know who you work for. You are with Kkladekk, are you not? And yet here you are, following this Hylian woman around. You do realize who this girl is, do you not? She is the daughter of His Majesty Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II. You are an enemy of the King, so I am not sure why you would be following his daughter around. Unless of course you intend to take advantage of the poor girl…" Demise grinned wickedly.

"H-how do you know about me? I have never seen you before." Kyoshiro instantly seemed on edge. He studied the woman: she had black hair, red eyes, and a curious marking around her left eye. Suddenly, the pieces clicked into place in his mind: this was the woman Kkladekk was after!

"Y-you are an enemy of my Father?" Azera stammered, looking over at Kyoshiro. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her.

"Okay, if you know so much about me then you ought to introduce yourself." Kyoshiro demanded of the dark haired woman.

"My name is Zelda, the eldest daughter of His Majesty and Crown Princess of Hyrule."

"Why are you asking her to introduce herself? You have already traveled with her for a while! You came to the Castle with my sister just days before!" Azera stared expectantly at Kyoshiro, who immediately backed away from her.

"I—I have no idea what you are talking about. I had never met any Princesses, and besides, the King only has one daughter! She's a little girl! Neither of you can possibly be Hyrule's princess: who are you, really? You are entirely too old to be Princess Azera, and one of you doesn't even remotely look like her." Kyoshiro insisted.

"Wait, sister, you just admitted it! You know who I am!" Azera seemed to be less concerned about Kyoshiro now.

"Azera, my dear sister, we can talk later okay? I should warn you about this man: he is a spy for someone who wants our Father dead." Demise lied.

"A spy? That is ridiculous. I am a bounty hunter, nothing more."

"Oh, but being a bounty hunter is the perfect cover. You get jobs that send you to all corners of the Kingdom. You gathered your intel while performing whatever assignment you got from Headquarters and reported back to Kkladekk. Tell me: what did you tell him after you betrayed me?" Demise's mood changed from relaxed to threatening. Kyoshiro took another step back.

"Betray you? Don't be stupid. How could I betray someone I never met before? I would remember meeting someone like you, because…" Kyoshiro's gaze moved back to the mark that circled the woman's eye. The marking, truthfully, seemed very familiar to him. He had no idea why, though.

"My sister speaks the truth, you know. You were traveling with me until just recently. You pledged yourself to our cause. But now I can see that it was all a ruse. You never intended to help us: when you had a free moment, you ran right back to that snake, Kkladekk. You know what happens when you cross me?" A shadowy hand leapt up from Zelda's shadow, seemingly taunting Kyoshiro.

"Hah, go ahead and try it. You don't scare me. If you want a fight, I will gladly fight you. Since you started it, I will feel no shame in attacking someone weaker than me. This is your one chance to back down, woman." Kyoshiro sneered as he quickly drew his massive blade. Azera gasped, worried about both the swordsman and her sister.

"Azera, be a good girl and wait for me. This will only take a moment." Demise grinned.

"That is my line exactly. You seem awfully confident about your skills, but there is no way that you stand a chance against me if you are going to fight me without a weapon." Kyoshiro warned.

"Why would I waste my precious energy to draw a blade that I do not need?" Demise mocked.

Kyoshiro lunged at Demise, ready to unleash a diagonal slice across the woman's torso. He assumed that she had no way to block such an attack…

Demise quickly threw up a magical barrier, which stopped Kyoshiro's great sword in its tracks. As Kyoshiro staggered, Demise used the opening to grab hold of Kyoshiro's great sword with a giant shadowy hand.

"Hah, that won't work on me." Kyoshiro grunted.

"Won't it?" Demise grinned as another shadowy hand reached out and grabbed Kyoshiro by the throat. He quickly dropped his blade, and reached for his neck in an effort to peel the hands off of him as the second hand also grabbed ahold of him. He was surprised by how firmly the hands were gripping him: he could not even budge them. He coughed a bit, but the hands were not yet squeezing enough to suffocate him.

"Look, I do not really care one way or the other if you believe me about my identity. But underestimating me in a fight is something only a fool would do. Now, I shall give you another opportunity to tell the truth: what did you tell Kkladekk?" Demise honestly did not care either way if Kyoshiro had told Kkladekk anything about Zelda's group: he just wanted to watch the swordsman squirm.

"L-look, okay, I did mention something. There's a woman out there who shares the same power as Ganondorf." Kyoshiro hurriedly said, hoping it would be enough to get the dark-haired woman to let him go.

"Oh, is that all? Do you mean like this?" The dark-haired woman grinned wickedly as she held up her right hand. When she clenched her hand into a fist a golden light began to shine, revealing the Triforce of Power!

"… You are the one?! But, the woman who I saw before had blonde hair…!" Kyoshiro looked too stunned to process what was happening.

"Looks can be deceiving, hm?" Demise chuckled.

"Sister! That is the Triforce of Power—what is the meaning of this?!" Azera looked truly panicked.

"If you really want to see something impressive, just give me one more moment…" Demise could not help but take immense pleasure in the looks on their faces as he not only showed off the Triforce of Power, but Wisdom as well.

"Take heed, traitorous swordsman: I am the most powerful mortal in all of Hyrule. With these two pieces of the Triforce, I am only one piece away from assembling the holy relic. Once I reassemble it, there is not a thing that will be able to stop me from getting what I want. If you value your life, I would pick your battles more carefully from here on out. If we should ever cross paths again, I cannot promise that I will be in such a good mood."

"You-you are no princess…! You are a de—" Kyoshiro breathed.

"No, no, you misunderstand. I am no mere demon. Do you want to piss me off? If you must give me a label, then the label Demon Lord or Demon King would do quite nicely."

Azera covered her mouth with her hands, whispering to herself "By the gods…"

"But Ganondorf, the one who bears Power, is on our side! That means that you—" Kyoshiro started.

"Heh, boy, how gullible are you? Ganondorf was never on your side. In fact, Ganondorf is using Kkladekk because that man is a complete fool. And Ganondorf really is the least of your concerns, anyway." Zelda laughed gleefully.

"Sister! Snap out of it! You are being possessed!" Azera pleaded.

"Possessed?! By Ganondorf?!" Kyoshiro looked like he wanted to put distance between himself and Zelda as fast as possible, but she had been holding onto him this entire time.

"You are only partially correct there, my dear traitor. The woman is indeed being possessed, but the one possessing her is so much more dangerous than Ganondorf is. You see, there are a few special souls that reside within people chosen by the Gods… within Ganondorf's body hides the soul of the most powerful God to ever walk the lands of Hyrule. Part of that soul now lies within this woman, making her even stronger than Ganondorf. If you would be so kind, feel free to refer to me by my proper name: I am Demise."

"The Demon King Demise, the man whose corrupted soul gives birth to monsters?!" Azera backed up slightly from Zelda.

"The very same, my dear Princess. Do you still wish to join your sister, knowing the evil that lives within her? I can take over her body whenever I wish. Nobody who gets near her will ever be safe, because I intend to kill everyone who knows her secret. Since both of you now know, well… I apologize for not giving you time to make peace with your Gods, but maybe they will take pity on your pathetic souls in the afterlife." Demise manipulated his shadow to launch a shadowy spike towards Azera. Before it could pierce her, she fired a sacred arrow straight at it without the use of a bow. The sacred arrow destroyed the shadowy object and continued flying unabated: the arrow slammed into Zelda, sending her flying. When she hit the ground, the shadowy hands that had been holding Kyoshiro in place dropped him.

He gasped slightly, but looked okay otherwise.

"Th-thanks for that." He muttered to Azera as he joined her side.

"I do not know how much truth this demon possessing my sister speaks, but it seems we will have to have a discussion at a later time when our lives are not in so much danger." Azera suggested.

"Uh, sure, I guess."

Zelda stood back up, looking livid.

"My dear sister, how could you treat your older sister this way? Have I not been a good friend to you all these years?"

"Demon, how dare you manipulate my sister!"

"Oh, dear Azera, your words wound me. I suppose your older sister will just have to show you the proper way to respect those older than you." Again, Demise manipulated his shadow to create a shadow hand. The hand reached for Azera, but she used Farore's power to summon a strong gale that pushed her right into Zelda. The two girls fell over and started struggling.

"You brat! Your Father clearly did not teach you any respect! I am a God, and I will not be disrespected like this!"

"Shut up, you monster! I want my sister back!" Azera focused her power underneath them, summoning a glyph of the Triforce on the floor of the cavern. It flashed brilliantly, sending divine energy shooting through Zelda's body. She screamed in pain, and collapsed to the ground in a motionless heap.

Azera stood up, breathing heavily.

"By the Gods, Azera, you are incredible…!" Kyoshiro remarked.

"I am still learning, but maybe one day I will deserve such praise." Azera smiled with a furrowed brow.

"Wh-what are we going to do about… her?" Kyoshiro asked, looking over at the dark-haired woman.

"I can heal her wounds, at least. But even so, she probably will not wake up right away. Being possessed by such an incredible demon probably is too much for her body. I will stay here with her, since she is my sister. But what about you?"

"You heard the thing possessing her: I'm a traitor. Well, I am still not really sure what it meant by that. I have never met either of you until today, so I don't really see how I could be a traitor."

"Kyoshiro, you must remember! You do know us, both of us! You traveled with my sister and went on extraordinary adventures with her, and you met me at the Castle! Please, remember us!" Azera pleaded. Kyoshiro looked taken aback.

"I, er, sorry, but what you're saying makes no sense to me. I don't ever go anywhere except where Master tells me to go."

"Who… who is your Master?"

"Master Kkladekk."

"Who is Kkladekk?"

"Master Kkladekk… saved my life. And so that is why…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean that the time you spent with my sister is meaningless."

"And I'm telling you, I never went anywhere with her. I think I would remember gallivanting around the countryside with such a crazy person. She said she wanted both of us dead, you know. Most people don't willingly spend their time with someone like that."

"That is not my sister, and you know it! Once my sister wakes up, you will see. She will be her normal self, and…"

"Look, none of this has anything to do with me." Kyoshiro interjected. Well, that was only partially true he had to admit. Kkladekk did want the dark-haired woman captured and brought to him, but after seeing what she was capable of Kyoshiro had absolutely no desire to get into another fight with her. He valued his own life too much to risk it on something like this.

"Ugghhh…" a groan suddenly interrupted the two. Azera quickly turned to look over at Zelda, who was trying to sit up.

"Why do I feel like someone beat the shit out of me…?" She muttered to herself, pressing a hand against her abdomen.

"Sister! Sister! Oh thank the Gods, you are okay!" Azera flew over to Zelda, throwing her arms around the older princess and squeezing her tightly. At first Zelda seemed completely confused by what was happening, but she quickly peeled Azera off of her and took a step back. She winced in pain, but otherwise looked ready to stand her ground.

"For the love of Farore, you are still here?! I swear I told you to leave me alone already! I did not believe you before, and I will not believe you now. Go bother someone else, okay? I do not have time to be playing games with you." Zelda scowled.

Kyoshiro was mystified by the woman's change of behavior.

 _So I guess she really is possessed… what a strange woman._

Zelda looked over at Kyoshiro momentarily, and then did a double take.

"B-brother?!" Zelda blurted out. That was the last thing Kyoshiro expected to hear.

"Wh-what did you just call me!?"

"O-oh, right… dammit, I forgot, you are…" Zelda began to mutter to herself, looking disappointed.

"I have no idea what you're going on about, okay? I think both of you are completely out of your minds, for the record. I do have a sister, but she looks nothing like you. And she wouldn't be here of all places, anyway. If you two have family issues, keep that between yourselves. Don't go dragging every stranger you see into your mess."

"… I know who you mother is." Zelda suddenly said, staring intensely at Kyoshiro. He faltered despite his every intention to seem in control of the situation.

"Wh-what did you just say…?" His heart skipped a beat.

"Your mother… her name is Lillia." Zelda spoke quietly.

"Y-you know my mother…?"

"Yes, Kyoshiro, because Lillia is also my mother."

"… You are lying."

"… How about you ask Darak?"

"… N-no way, there's no way you could know about…"

"Is there really no way that I could know who your adoptive father is?"

"… You must be using some kind of magic right now! Get out of my head! You have no right to be digging around in there! How dare you act like you know me… how dare you…!"

"Kyoshiro, please… we are family, and we need you. Are you saying you cannot remember anything, none of the places we journeyed to or the monsters we fought?"

"… I cannot stay here anymore. I am done entertaining you." Kyoshiro turned to leave, but Zelda grabbed onto his shadow to hold him back. Kyoshiro looked over his shoulder briefly, but he almost effortlessly shrugged Zelda's shadow off of him. He looked away from the sisters and began to speak.

"You're weak, nothing like Sentinel Pride. I have no idea how you have that power, but you have decades to go before you can stand against us. Even if you trained every day, you would still stay behind us because we continue to get stronger all the time. I trained with Sentinel Pride for years, and he always kicked my ass because I had no way to stop him from controlling me.

Even though you use the same powers as him, you are nothing compared to him. I only had one option back then: get stronger. You really must be a princess, because I imagine you've been pampered your whole life. You have no idea what it means to suffer, to struggle, to fail. That's why you're weak, because your life never demanded you to be strong. If you ever hope to stop me, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that."

"Fuck you, Kyoshiro! You know damn well how much I have suffered…!" Zelda yelled.

"Don't embarrass yourself even more. As it stands, you're nothing without… Him." With that, Kyoshiro walked off. Zelda drew a sharp breath, knowing exactly what Kyoshiro was referring to. She just stood there in stunned silence, keeping her gaze fixed where Kyoshiro had been.

"God fucking dammit… Kyoshiro is right… damn it all!" Zelda raised a fist, and a shadowy hand appeared beside her, mimicking her raised fist. The shadowy hand violently pounded the ground next to the Princess.

"I just want my brother back! Give him back to me, you bastard!" Zelda swore, tears stinging her eyes.

"Sister, please…" Azera pleaded, approaching her older sister.

"What do you fucking want?! Can you not understand that I am in enough pain without your games?! I cannot deal with your bullshit right now!" Zelda snapped. Just as Zelda lost her temper with Azera, a large owl planted itself between the two sisters. Zelda took a step back, her mouth slightly agape.

"Wh-what in Farore's name…?"

"Princess Zelda, if I might have a word with you. Hoo." The owl began diplomatically.

"… This thing talks?! And more importantly, how in Din's name do you know my identity?"

"I am a servant of the Goddesses, naturally. I know a lot of things, including the fact that the girl standing before you is indeed Princess Azera of Hyrule."

"Oh gods, you fell for that completely obvious lie? You must not have visited the Royal Family lately, Mr. Owl, because you would know that The King's only daughter is eight years old. Not twenty."

"Hoo, except you just said that the King only has one daughter. That cannot be, because you are also his daughter."

"I do not see why I have to admit anything to you. I have no idea who you are or where you came from."

"I suppose that is true enough in one sense, but that is neither here nor there. Princess Azera asked the Goddesses to allow her to come to Charcai in order to look for you, and the Goddesses requested that I accompany our young Princess during her journey. After all, she has never left home before. It would not do to let our dear Princess wander off into parts unknown all by herself, hoo."

"Even if that was true, you cannot possibly explain to me why this girl looks so old compared to my sister."

"Please, sister… I am using magic to appear this way." Azera explained.

"M-magic…?"

"You have heard of it, have you not? The Sheikah have secret magical techniques that they jealously guard, and one of them is the ability to alter certain features of one's body. I am using such magic to change the appearance of my entire body."

"I-I see… but… you would still be a young girl. How could you possibly have mastered such advanced magic at so young an age? To my knowledge, you had not started any such training."

"Sister… that is what I was trying to say before: I'm not a little girl, at least not in the way you think of young children."

"Wh-what do you… mean by that…?" Zelda faltered.

"Do you swear to listen to everything I have to say?"

"… Yes." Zelda's heart was skipping a beat for some reason.

"I thank you. So I guess we'll just start at the beginning: on the day of my birth. I was born as Princess Azera, but not even an hour after my birth I died."

"Wh-what…?!"

"Later the Goddesses would explain to me that they did not want me to be a Hylian Princess because they were worried about the balance of power in the world being too far shifted in Hyrule's favor. But you see, our parents had a very specific reason for wanting a second child: though you were still alive, and they knew that you would be the crown princess, no one else knew that. And they could not risk revealing your existence to more people since you were too vulnerable at the time. People were grumbling in the Castle about the Queen whose only daughter had perished. Our parents wanted to show everyone that there would indeed be an heir to the throne, even if they never intended me to be that heir.

Our parents pleaded with the Goddesses to reconsider the decision to end my life. The Goddesses considered what mom and dad had to say, and they could see the practicality of the Royal Family having another child. So they restored life to my small body, but with a condition: I was not to be a regular mortal girl. Instead, my life would forever be in the hands of the Goddesses themselves. I would live my days in service to them. But that was not the end of it.

When they restored life to my body, they granted me an intellect far beyond that of any child. They explained to me what my identity and purpose were… and then, I had a suggestion for them: knowing that our mortal parents needed me to play the part of a normal Hylian child, I asked the Goddesses to erase my memories. I thought that if I had retained my memories, I would be unable to maintain the façade that I was a normal girl. And so, the Goddesses facilitated my growth as if I was indeed a normal child. I was none the wiser about my true identity… until recently that is."

Zelda stared at her younger sister, at a loss for words.

"Sister… you really gave me a scare that day, you know."

"That day? Oh, you mean… that night when I attacked you. I… am sorry, Azera, for putting you through that… you… you probably hate me, and I cannot blame you." Zelda's gaze dropped to the ground. Azera grabbed Zelda's hand firmly, and stared sternly into her sister's eyes.

"Zelda, I do not hate you. I was a little confused after everything happened, but it was clear to me that you were willing to sacrifice yourself on my behalf. I would have grieved deeply for you had your plan actually worked, because I never thought that it was right for you to die for me. But that day, when I saw you lying on the ground and barely alive, something awoke inside of me.

I began to think to myself, 'why was I unable to protect her?' That thought was so foreign to me, because I was just 'a regular girl.' But the more I dwelled on the memory of you lying there, and thinking that I should have been able to help you, that is when all of my memories returned. I was suddenly faced with the realization that I was indeed nothing like a 'regular girl,' and that I actually did have a way to help you. From that moment, I pleaded the Goddesses to train me. I would not take no for an answer… and I even insisted that they send me to Charcai just hours ago, despite only getting training for a few days.

I am so inexperienced, and indeed one might even say that I am extremely ignorant of a lot of things, but I draw knowledge and power from the Goddesses. In time, I may even become a valuable member of your team. My only desire is to be by your side. I will fight alongside you, no matter who our opponent is. I will protect you with little regard for my own fate. Please, sister, allow me to have purpose in my life. Nothing would make me happier than to stay with you, until the very end." Azera pleaded. Zelda was admittedly touched by Azera's sincerity.

"… Sister, come here." Zelda requested. The older princess pulled Azera into an embrace, and marveled at how the little girl who she had doted on was now, in a strange way, a fully-grown woman just like her.

Azera's eyes welled with tears.

"Thank the Gods I finally got through to you. Thank the Gods…" She muttered.

"I-I know… I was kind of a jerk to you… I am sorry… I just…"

"If you are really sorry, my sister, you have to tell me everything as your apology."

"T-tell you 'everything?'"

"… You have to explain what happened before I was born, what happened before you moved to the Castle, and… especially what happened on Ascension Day." Azera pulled away from Zelda, looking insistent. Zelda's stomach did a somersault just thinking about that day.

"I… okay. I suppose that it is only fair that I tell you the truth. After all… nothing makes me angrier than when someone lies to me." Zelda sighed.

"I-I am sorry, sister! I would have told you sooner, I swear…!"

"N-no, do not blame yourself Azera. After all, you really had no choice in this matter. But our parents could have at least told me…"

"M-maybe, but there must have been a reason that they didn't say anything. Right…?"

"The same reason that they lied to me for so long about everything else." Zelda looked away, trying not to lose her temper in front of her younger sister.

"I-I won't lie to you!"

"Okay, so how about I give you a small test? Be honest with me: do I terrify you?"

"When Zukto first told me that you were my sister, yes, I was afraid of you. I did not understand how my sister could have changed so much. But now that I saw your other self—" Azera began.

"What?! Azera, are you serious?! When did you meet Demise?!" Zelda went into a panic.

"Actually, not that long ago. I came into this part of the cave, and you approached me. Except it wasn't actually you: someone was possessing you. He spoke to me and that swordsman a bit before revealing to us who he was. I uh… I kind of got into a fight with him."

"Wh-what happened…?"

"I, um, I am sorry, sister, but I had to beat you up a little to suppress Demise's soul inside of you." Azera looked sheepish.

"Y-you… beat me up… and that was enough to silence Him…?" Zelda looked dumbfounded.

"Er, yeah, is that unusual?"

"Well, um, yeah. Every time I get possessed by Demise, no one I have ever fought can stand up to Him. He is entirely too powerful… but you can fight Him, and you can actually seal Him away? Azera… that is honestly incredible."

"Y-you think so? Well, then, sister, I know exactly how I can be of use to you! I will stay by your side always to make sure that Demise minds his own damn business! He will not be able to possess you as long as I am around!" Azera declared, looking rather proud of herself.

"Azera… you are the best sister a girl could ask for." Zelda smiled gratefully.

"I will never let you forget that you just said that." Azera grinned.

Their little reunion was interrupted by an angry snarl.

"Oh for the love of the Goddesses, the beast is back?" Zelda looked exasperated.

"Sister! This is the perfect opportunity for us to practice fighting together! Let's take it out together!" Azera looked excited.

"Well, regardless of what my feelings were on the matter this thing will not exactly leave us alone. We pretty much have no choice… so you better give it your all, Azera!"

"I am so proud of you girls, hoo!" Kaepora Gaebora declared.

Zelda quickly glanced over at the owl, feeling disconcerted about their talking avian friend. She also felt a bit sheepish for forgetting that he had been there the whole time.

"Kaepora Gaebora, can you please find the others and bring them here?" Azera requested.

"I would be happy to do that. I shall return post-haste, hoo!" With that, the owl flew off.

"You named it?" Zelda asked incredulously.

"No, sister, that is his name."

"O-oh, I see…" Zelda still could not quite understand how one of her newest party members was a talking owl.

The beast raised up a paw, poised as if ready to crush the girls under foot. Zelda quickly extended her shadow to grab the monster's other foot, the one still firmly planted on the ground. With a bit of effort, she pushed the beast's foot out from underneath it. Since neither of its front paws were touching the ground anymore, the creature fell straight to the ground. The weight of the beast created a small crater underneath it when its body made impact with the floor of the cavern.

"Your powers are really intriguing, sister." Azera remarked.

"Well, your turn then. You have to show me what your specialty is."

"Hm… actually, I notice something interesting about this creature. It seems to not be itself." Azera noted.

"Not… itself? What does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, it is kind of like how you were possessed earlier. You were not yourself. This creature is not possessed like you were, but there is still some kind of evil magic here that caused it be become like this. I think I can separate the evil magic from the poor creature."

"If you think you can do something like that, that would be great." Zelda seemed surprised.

"Goddesses, lend me your powers! I see a lost soul, shrouded by powers that corrupt it. Shine your purifying light and return this soul to its rightful form!" Azera prayed. A large glyph of the Triforce appeared on the ground underneath the massive dog, shining with a brilliant light. The creature seemed to be unable to move while the glyph pulsated with a divine power. After a few moments, the glyph faded away and the monster collapsed to the ground. The two girls stood on the defensive, expecting it to get up any minute… the beast's body suddenly purged a dark, cloud-like mist from it. Within moments, the massive beast's body was completely hidden by the dark fog.

"What is that…?" Zelda looked nervous.

"The poor thing… it was corrupted by a malignant power. But I think he will be okay now." Azera smiled peacefully.

"Eh?" Zelda looked over at her sister, not sure what the girl meant.

"Just watch for a moment." Azera suggested. It did not take long for the fog to dissipate, revealing the body of the wolf spirit from before!

"Oh, merciful gods! That bitch, Ruellian, must have corrupted him!" Zelda rushed over to the wolf, wanting to confirm if it was still alive.

"You really hate this Ruellian person." Azera remarked as she joined Zelda by the wolf's side.

"Y-yeah… a lot has happened recently, really. I promise… I will explain everything. Part of me does not know where to start, though."

"I never realized, because you were always so kind and patient with me… but you have suffered for a long time. S-sorry, sister…"

"Just remember that I do not blame you, Azera. You and I are similar in a few ways… our lives are no longer our own. They belong to the Gods." Zelda looked a bit bitter.

"You say that like it is a bad thing." Azera looked like she did not understand what Zelda's point was.

"Of course it is bad! This is my life, not theirs! I want to be the only one who chooses my path." Zelda explained. Azera had never even considered that to be an option before, so she silently contemplated her sister's strong will.

 _Is this the difference between being a mortal and being a servant of the Gods? Do all humans desire freedom above all else?_

As the sisters talked, Kaepora Gaebora returned with Zukto, Link, Nari, and Wrath all in tow.

"Zelda!" Zukto hurried over to the Hylian princess, relieved to see that she was okay.

"Geez, have some faith in me would you?" Zelda muttered as she looked over at her Charcaian friend.

"I-I do, you know that. But I cannot help but constantly worry about you."

"You sound like a mother." Zelda chuckled.

Azera grinned.

"I see that you two have settled your differences?" Wrath observed.

"Y-yeah. I cannot help it: when I hear that someone's life has been irrevocably screwed up by the Gods, I instantly feel sympathy for them." Zelda sighed.

"Hey now, the Gods allowed me to be here." Azera pointed out.

"They never should have killed you in the first place!" Zelda blurted out. Zukto was mortified.

"H-hey, when you put it like that…" Azera winced a bit.

"By the way, we found our friend." Zelda motioned behind her with a nod of her head. Link looked over her shoulder and saw the unconscious body of the wolf spirit.

"I am relieved to see him, but how long has he been like that?"

"Several minutes. I do not believe that he is dead, just weak. Should we wait for him to recover?" Zelda asked.

"Maybe he would like to follow us to the shrine. We should wait." Link suggested.

"So, uh, what's this business about being killed?" Zukto nervously asked.

"The Goddesses killed my sister the day she was born because of some bullshit about being 'worried about the balance of power between Hyrule and her sister worlds.'" Zelda looked disgusted.

"How did you come back?" Link looked intrigued.

"Our parents pleaded with the Goddesses to reconsider. Based on the argument my parents presented, the Goddesses did in fact reverse their decision. However, there was a catch. The Goddesses explained that I was never to be a normal Hylian girl. So even though I look very much like you guys… this is just to fool mortals. I am actually immortal, as I have no soul. My new purpose in this world is to serve the Golden Goddesses for eternity as a demigod, a being not quite a God but also far from human.

Despite my… rather strange upbringing, I would prefer it if you simply refer to me as Azera. I am a demigod, but I will always consider myself Zelda's sister. And if you all are friends with my sister, I hope you would consider befriending me as well."

"Of course, Azera; you will always be one of us." Zukto smiled gently.

Azera seemed pleased by Zukto's response.

 _Well now… I feel like some foul creature dragged me through hell and back._ A familiar voice rang through everyone's heads.

"Hey there, are you doing okay?" Link asked the wolf spirit who was slowly standing back up.

 _I have felt better, that is certain. But the last thing I remember, I was being attacked. Seeing all of you here, you must have heard the cries of my pack. Did you come back to help us?_

"Of course we did." Link nodded.

 _Well then, heroes, I must impose upon you once again. You can feel it, I assume: the horrible aura of dark power originating from this mountain's shrine. I specifically settled my pack here because I was in charge of defending the shrine. It seems that Kkladekk and his ilk discovered my secret, and they defiled the shrine. But I am hopeful that we can restore the shrine's divine power and save Mount Samekh from Kkladekk's influence._

"Don't worry—we fully intended to reverse the damage done by my brother." Zukto reassured the spirit.

 _We will forever be in your debt. If you would, follow me._ The wolf spirit, despite being slowed down by its injuries, began to lead Zelda's group deeper into the cave.

"We actually almost found the shrine, I think, but something was preventing us from moving further." Wrath explained.

 _Is that so? I suppose we will need to investigate this._ The wolf spirit did not seem overly concerned.

"Hey, so, anyone mind telling us about our newest friend?" Link asked, looking over his shoulder at the massive owl who was following them.

"My name is Kaepora Gaebora; I am a servant of the Goddesses. Honestly, that is the most important thing you would need to know about me. I typically make my presence known when there is a young hero who needs a guide."

"A young hero who needs a guide?" Link echoed.

"He means me." Azera smiled sheepishly.

"Indeed. Our young Azera definitely needed a guide, hoo."

"How did you even get here?" Zukto asked.

"The same way you guys did." Azera looked proud of herself.

"O-oh, so… that means you cannot go back to Hyrule." He added.

"Yep, I'm afraid you're right about that. The Goddesses already warned me about it, but I don't mind. I wanted to be with Sister no matter what… so if that means I'm stranded out here in a strange world, so be it." Zelda was touched by Azera's devotion. Were all little sisters like this?

"It's okay, Azera. We **will** find a way back home. After all, we cannot abandon Hyrule or her people."

"Actually, do you mind catching me up on what exactly it is you're doing?" Azera furrowed her brow.

"A-ah, right, I suppose that is important." Zelda muttered.

"I'll do it." Zukto offered.

Zukto explained the major points of their journey, mainly focusing on how they assembled their team and where they went. He skipped out on details of some of the complicated issues such as Zelda's curse because he assumed Zelda would want to talk about that herself.

"So the Goddesses think this Kkladekk fellow is dangerous?"

"He is, because he is possessed by an ancient being known as Krandses." Link explained.

"So Krandses is our target then. But of course, Kkladekk has gathered a group of followers. Ruellian is one of them, as well as that swordsman. But Sister, that swordsman was with you at the Castle. Why is he working with Kkladekk?"

"Th-that is… we think that Kkladekk is controlling Kyoshiro with some kind of dark magic. He would never leave us, not willingly. We are a team, and he is my brother." Zelda looked pained.

"Y-your brother? So he's my brother too? I never knew we had a brother!" Azera looked surprised.

"Er, about that… this is connected to an entirely separate thing… I promise that I will explain it, but not now. I apologize, Azera, but now is not a good time to talk about it. I would rather talk just between the two of us."

"O-okay, Sister. Do we know who else is working with Kkladekk?"

"Ganondorf is working with Kkladekk, at least in some respects. I more of believe that Ganondorf is trying to use Kkladekk to further his own goals, not necessarily that he has any desire to help Kkladekk."

 _That makes sense, based on what Demise said while he was controlling my sister._

"There is a mysterious man named Shaikh Ethe who is also helping Kkladekk. Honestly, we only know those people so far: Kkladekk; Krandses, though as far as we know he does not exist outside of Kkladekk; Ruellian; Kyoshiro; and Shaikh Ethe. That is not even half of them." Zelda sighed.

"Well, we're bound to find more of them. Especially if we hang out around here; you mentioned that Kkladekk is not Hylian, correct? Lemme guess: Kkladekk is from Charcai?"

"That is really perceptive of you, Azera. You are correct: Kkladekk is Charcaian."

"Speaking of being from other places, Zukto… you are not Hylian. May I ask where you are from?"

"Heh, couldn't sneak that one past you I see. I am also Charcaian."

"Whoah, you too?! Why were you in Hyrule, anyway? And you said earlier that the Goddesses contacted you in a dream. They surely know that you are Charcaian."

"The circumstances of me ending up in Hyrule are a bit strange, but you are right: the Goddesses knew that I was Charcaian. That is precisely why they approached me to help. You see, Kkladekk is my older brother." Zukto sighed.

"Whoah, you're fighting your brother? Isn't that sad? Can't we help him?" Azera asked. While Zukto truly appreciated Azera's concern, he grew worried about what Zelda's reaction would be. He was right to be worried, because the older princess promptly lost her temper.

"The only 'help' we are giving Kkladekk is help into his grave! That bastard will pay for what he did to me!" Zelda looked livid.

"The fates have cast a very curious net over us. None of us were chosen at random: for one reason or another, we all have a stake in this fight." Link observed. He was also trying to avoid acknowledging Zelda's outburst.

"You too? What brings you here?"

"I am the bearer of the Triforce of Courage as dictated by the soul of an ancient hero who lives inside of me. The reason why I must fight is because Ganondorf has aligned himself with Kkladekk. It is my responsibility to defeat Ganondorf regardless of what he plans on doing or who he chooses as his allies. But I cannot stop him by myself, of course. I need everyone's help, including yours. We're happy to have you along, Azera." Link smiled gently at the younger princess.

"I am happy to be here. I hated sitting around the Castle doing nothing. Being able to fight by my sister's side… I will be so much more at ease now that I can see for myself how she is doing."

 _She clearly needs someone looking out for her. She lets her anger get the better of her all the time, it seems._ Azera furrowed her brow, feeling apprehensive about her sister's condition.

 _My friends, the shrine is just ahead of us._ The wolf announced to the group.

"Oh, yeah, this is exactly what stopped us earlier." Wrath pointed out, looking at the massive rock wall that blocked their path.

"Did you already try using explosives?" Zelda asked.

"Yep, no go." Link shrugged.

"Hm… something seems off about this." Azera observed, staring carefully at the giant slab of rock.

"Hey, wait a second… I just realized something: where is Ricando?" Zukto looked mildly concerned.

Everyone confessed to being clueless about his whereabouts.

"We have been all over this cave: surely we would have seen him?" Wrath raised an eyebrow.

"We have not been past this obstacle, though." Azera pointed out.

"Are you… suggesting that Ricando got past it?" Link asked.

"Why not? He has some strong magic, right? I saw him earlier, and could tell just by looking at him." Azera explained.

 _If I may, my friends. I actually do not see what you are talking about. Watch this._ The wolf spirit who had been accompanying them simply walked through the supposed rock wall!

"Ah?! He passed through it? Does that mean this thing is not solid? But, earlier when we were here…!" Link looked bemused.

"Well, the wolf spirit passed through. How about we try?" Zelda followed suit, and with no trouble was able to pass through the decoy wall.

"The Princess just passed through it, so I guess we should all go. Come on." Zukto and everyone else filed through the illusory wall, fully expecting trouble to be waiting for them.

A tall, cloaked figure was standing next to what looked like an old shrine.

"Shaikh Ethe?! You have a lot of guts to face us again so soon after I ran you through with that sword." Zelda scoffed. She did not want to admit it, but the fact that he was standing so calmly before them with no apparent injuries remaining from their last encounter was quite impressive.

"I underestimated you before, a mistake I will not repeat."

"Why are you working with Kkladekk, anyway? You and I should be—"

"The Royal Family is responsible for destroying my entire family: I will never forgive any of you." The man's face was completely covered in bandages except for his eyes, but it was not hard to understand that he was not in a mood for any kind of idle chatter.

"Wh-what are you talking about…?" Zelda felt nervous all of a sudden.

"I owe you no explanations. I would say that you owe me an apology, but if you apologized now there would not be any closure anyway. My family is gone, regardless, and your pity will never bring them back. And there is nothing in this wretched world that will ease my pain and suffering except killing anyone with my family's blood on their hands!"

 _He… he is fighting for the exact same reason I am!_ Zelda did not know what to say: she did not want to come out and sympathize with him, but it was apparent that his desire for revenge was as strong as hers.

 _I guess I have no choice: I have to take him out. It sounds like he even wants to kill me, despite the fact that I have honestly no idea who his family is or how long ago they were supposedly killed. But saying that to him seems like it would be useless: I should accept that now._

"You may have been one of our clan at some point, but I will not hesitate to take you out if you attack me. I have important business to tend to, so I cannot afford to lose to you."

"This is not a matter of losing or winning: this is a matter of life and death." Suddenly, the man wearing the shabby cloak disappeared from sight.

"He is going to attack from the shadows!" Zelda warned. She frantically looked around the room, trying to discern where he would strike from.

 _Do not fear, Zelda: I will make sure that no harm befalls any of your allies. Just focus on taking this guy out._ Wrath spoke to Zelda within her mind.

 _Thank you, Wrath. I am grateful to have your support._

 _This is easier said than done, honestly, because I still feel like crap._ Zelda furrowed her brow. She could not, for some reason, sense Hylia's presence. Was the malevolent energy from the shrine blocking out the power of the divine god that rested within her?

Something flew towards Zelda, which she easily blocked by erecting one of her shields. The small dagger bounced off the shield harmlessly, but when it hit the ground and Zelda released her shield a shadowy hand reached up from the ground and reached for Zelda's throat. Zelda had not expected this in the slightest, so she was frantically trying to pry the shadow hand off of her.

 _Sh-shit! Shaikh Ethe knows the same magic as me…!_

"We have to help her!" Link, remembering that he had severed the connection between Zelda and Zukto before with his sword, rushed to the Princess' side to extricate her from her adversary's magic. He quickly unsheathed his sword and sliced through the shadow that was trying to choke Zelda: just as Zelda was catching her breath again, Shaikh Ethe appeared back in view. He was clutching at one of his bandaged arms, clearly in pain.

"Hah… you… seem surprised." Zelda mocked, still trying to regain her composure.

"No one has ever severed my magic like that before." The man grunted.

"I had that same lesson taught to me the hard way a few months ago."

"How do you know our clan's magic?" Shaikh Ethe demanded.

"I should ask you that same question. Master Impa only had one apprentice: me."

"I had a Master too: long, long ago. In fact, that was before your time. I did not realize that the Sheikah still commanded the Shadows."

"There are so few Sheikah these days, as you must be aware of. In fact, the only two who I knew of until just recently were myself and Master Impa. Where do you hail from?"

"Kakariko Village. That village is sacred to us Sheikah, so of course it would stand to reason that my soul is bound there."

"But I have lived in that village for years, and I have never seen you before." Zelda pointed out.

"You did hear me before, right? I am much older than you, and indeed much older than you can comprehend. My time in the village was already centuries ago."

"C-centuries?!"

 _Shaikh Ethe is claiming to be as old as Wrath? This is absolutely insane._

"I forgive you for being skeptical. After all, no Hylian could possibly live for so long… I suppose I can satisfy your curiosity at least a bit and tell you that I am no ordinary Hylian."

"Why should I bother being surprised anymore? Everyone around here is some God or something equally asinine." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"You would not be acting so cocky if you understood exactly what I am, you welp."

"I am a fully-grown woman, thank you. And you may address me as Princess Zelda."

"Girl, your title is nothing but words on a paper meant to enslave everyone else to an arbitrary way of life. You did nothing to earn respect, and you certainly do not deserve to live in some gilded palace that was only erected thanks to the blood, sweat, and money of those who were not lucky enough to be as privileged as the Royal Family."

"Funny you mention all of that, because I have been saying that same exact thing for years. You are working with Kkladekk, so I assumed that you already knew who I was. I am Princess Zelda, but this Princess was raised as a peasant. I have no need of the lavish lifestyle of my family: why do you think I am traveling out here anyway? This is not some exotic vacation destination, you know."

"Fight me with all of the ferocity I felt in you during our first encounter: you must prove to me that you are a worthy adversary. If you can prove yourself on the battlefield, perhaps I shall be inclined to see you as more than a scared child."

"What, the first time I kicked your ass was not good enough for you?!" Zelda smirked as she extended her shadow towards the Sheikah man. Shaikh Ethe also extended his shadow to meet Zelda's: the two shadows clashed together, grappling for control. Zelda clearly was struggling to keep up with Shaikh Ethe, who had much greater control of his powers.

Wrath, staying hidden in the shadows, noticed that the Princess would not be able to match Shaikh Ethe's strength alone. He quickly joined the fight, manipulating Shaik Ethe's own shadow to launch a shaowy spike from the ground and straight through the man's chest. Wrath held the spike there for a few seconds before retracting it. Shaikh Ethe immediately coughed up blood.

"Hah, now that's… more like it… you sneaky bitch. I never even noticed you using your powers beyond your pathetic attempts to hold me back. But I suppose that… was an act, wasn't it? I have to admit, your cunning is quite impressive. But you have to do more than that if you want to stop me. I am not going to be easy to kill, if you hadn't already realized that." The look in Shaikh Ethe's eyes was different now: he almost seemed like he was enjoying himself.

 _Wrath, thank you for intervening on my behalf. I have to admit: he is out of my league._

 _He does not yet realize that you did not do that. Let us continue this ruse for a while yet: perhaps I can curb his will to fight._

 _I shall distract him to the best of my abilities._

 _Zukto!_ A cheerful voice rang out in Zukto's head all of a sudden.

 _Wh-what?!_

 _Calm down! This is serious!_

 _You just yelled at me so suddenly in my head! I wasn't expecting it!_

 _Don't lose focus! We need to support Zelda, right? Get an arrow ready: I will use my special skill that I showed you before. That should stop this guy from freely manipulating his shadow._

Zukto, hoping that Nari's plan was going to be as helpful as she made it sound, wordlessly drew his bow and carefully lined his arrow up with his target. Shaikh Ethe, still too focused on Zelda, did not realize what the Charcaian was doing. In an instant, Zukto let his arrow fly: Nari, pouring her magic into the arrow, spawned additional arrows which all glowed with a mystical light. The arrows homed to different parts of Shaikh Ethe's shadow, piercing the ground where it stood. The arrows pierced his shadow in an array that was arranged exactly like the Triforce.

The man staggered when the arrows pierced his shadow, clearly in pain. He stood still for a few moments, not giving any indication of what state he was in.

Zelda was relieved that the arrows seemed to be holding their enemy back, but she was still worried that Shaikh Ethe could not be held back in such a fashion for very long. She was even worried that his current behavior was simply an act to catch them off guard: could he truly be immobilized with their magic, she wondered?

"… You, Kkladekk's brother…" Shaikh Ethe began. Zukto cautiously regarded the Sheikah, not sure what to expect.

"You should not be fighting us. You should be by your brother's side while he's still here… because one day, without warning, you could lose him forever. And people cannot be brought back from the dead, as I am sure you must realize. If you waste all of these years fighting him, you will only have yourself to blame if his time comes to an end. Why must you sacrifice these precious few years that you will be able to share with him?"

"I am not sure what kind of experiences you have had regarding your family, but you misunderstand me: I am fighting my brother precisely _because_ he is my brother. My older brother means the world to me, but that does not mean that I have to agree with what he's doing. My brother must be stopped, and I intend to stop him. He won't listen to some random strangers, I know that much. He needs the people closest to him to knock some sense into him. I won't let you get in my way of saving my brother."

"Hah, saving your brother? Spare me: I know what you're really after." Shaikh Ethe smirked.

"You understand nothing, you piece of shit. After all, you think it is perfectly reasonable to attack innocent people who had nothing to do with whatever happened to you when you were younger. If you're going to hold a grudge, at least hold a grudge against the people who actually wronged you. Princess Zelda was not alive when your family members got attacked: I fail to see why she deserves to be punished for something she had no involvement with."

"She benefits every single day from the decision her ancestors made centuries ago: her very existence is likely thanks to the decision to destroy my family. Of course she deserves to be punished for implicitly supporting my family's murderers." Shaikh Ethe sneered.

"What in Din's name are you ranting about, 'my existence is thanks' to your family's destruction?" Zelda looked incredulous.

"No need to worry about that anymore, because your existence will be erased thanks to me! I will be one step closer to avenging my family!" With a flourish, Shaikh Ethe's shadow raised a giant fist and smashed one of the arrows that formed the binding array. When the arrow was destroyed, the array's magic dissipated which allowed Shaikh Ethe to freely move about again. Just as he was sending out his shadow to overwhelm Princess Zelda, Wrath made his presence known.

"You will have to destroy me before I will allow you to lay another hand on Hyrule's Princess." Wrath declared, appearing before Shaikh Ethe. The Sheikah man immediately faltered when he realized who was standing before him.

"By-by the Gods…! Wrath, it is you…!" Shaikh Ethe breathed, seemingly in awe at the sight of Zelda's shadowy companion.

"… Stand down, now, unless you wish for me to destroy you." Wrath continued, hoping that the man would take his offer to end the fight.

"Stand down?! Ahahaha, are you insane?! You betrayed us! You ruined everything! Stand down?! I cannot stop laughing, for some reason, but let me assure you that I am so pissed off right now. I want nothing more than to rip you limb from limb!" Shaikh Ethe now seemed completely unhinged about something.

"Y-you know each other?!" Zelda was starting to feel overwhelmed by everything that was going on.

"… No. 'We' is the incorrect term here, because I have no idea who this is. But it seems that, if he really did live centuries ago, perhaps he heard about me from someone who was alive during my time."

"I suppose I can understand that…" Zelda muttered.

"Come, Wrath, enough talk! Fight me, you fucking coward! It will be so satisfying to see you beg for mercy!" Shaikh Ethe extended his shadow, ready to fulfill his mission. Nari appeared by Wrath's side at that moment, and fired a beam of magic straight through Shaikh Ethe's outstretched shadow. Shaikh Ethe seemed completely taken aback by the sudden interruption.

"Nari, thank you for the help." Wrath calmly acknowledged his old friend.

"You are outnumbered: I suggest you stand down now." Nari suggested, seemingly more serious than normal.

Zelda quickly fell into formation next to Wrath.

"He will not listen to reason: Come, Wrath, let us end this together."

"Yes, let's."

"You will not fucking lay another hand on him, you bastards!" Suddenly a woman with pointed ears and long, brown hair charged right up to Shaikh Ethe and fell into formation with him.

"… Ruellian. So you decided to show your miserable face after all." Zelda growled.

"Shut it, Shadow. I actually don't really give a damn about you right now; however, the head of the blonde one is mine!" Ruellian screamed. Azera looked surprised for a moment, but she remembered that the swordsman, Kyoshiro, had also been mistaken about her identity.

Zelda merely flashed Ruellian a knowing grin, understanding that her trick from earlier had worked.

"Oh, Ruellian, I think you will find that I will not just sit quietly while you attack my younger sister. You see, I am quite protective of her… and I will not show you any mercy if you lay a hand on her."

"I feel the same way about Shaikh Ethe: I guess we have no choice but to settle this the hard way." Ruellian's body began to shift and distort itself: when it finished, Zelda's breath hitched in her chest when she realized who she was staring at.

"N-no, not… not my…" Zelda muttered to herself, her body suddenly going rigid. She was looking straight at her father, and memories were flooding her mind.

"Azera, come see your Dad. I have a new book to show you."

"Fa-father, Torgaz, is that really…?" Zelda whispered, slowly reaching a hand out towards him.

"That's it, my dear, come to your Father…" Ruellian beckoned.

 _Why… why is my sister responding to the name Azera…? And why is she calling this man her father?!_ Azera did not like what was going on; she needed to figure out why her sister was suddenly so glassy-eyed and despondent.

"Zelda! Snap out of it! Torgaz is dead!" Wrath bellowed. Zelda did not respond: she simply sunk to the ground, acting like something was draining all of her will to fight and even to exist.

"M-mom… d-dad… I am sorry… I am sorry… I am so sorry for failing you… you got killed and it is my fault…" Zelda began to quietly sob, images of the mangled bodies of her adoptive parents lying on the ground flashing through her mind…

"Sister! Come back to us! What's going on?!" Azera shouted as she hurried to Zelda's side.

Wrath quickly formed a giant hand from his shadow and swatted at the illusion of the man standing before them. The man's body faded away like smoke.

"Show yourself, Ruellian." Wrath demanded, looking around.

"I knew that I was not going to fool you with something like that, but it seems like our dear, foolish Shadow cannot escape her past." Ruellian appeared again, smirking.

"She is not the only one who has that problem, clearly." Wrath retorted.

Zukto ran over to be with Azera and her sister.

"By the way, who are you? You look an awful lot like…" Ruellian began, regarding Wrath with suspicion.

"Heh, you are not the first one to say that to me today."

"Take note, dear Ruellian: that traitor is Sentinel Wrath! Sentinel Pride told me much about you."

"So there really are others like Pride, then…" Ruellian only looked mildly interested.

"Is that name supposed to mean anything to me?" Wrath asked matter-of-factly. The truth was that the name Pride really meant nothing to him besides the fact that Kyoshiro had mistaken Wrath for Pride earlier.

"… Are you trying to mock us?! You really piss me off, you traitor…! Ruellian, we should retreat for now. Sentinel Pride will want to know about this right away. As much as I would enjoy ending your miserable life, I am afraid that Pride would never forgive me for such a slight. Pride _will_ come for you: mark my words." With that, Shaikh Ethe tossed a small, circular object at the ground. When it hit the ground, it lit up the room with a bright flash. Zukto and company were temporarily blinded by the flash of the Deku Nut.


	26. An Ancient Melody Cleanses the Darkness

"I-is everyone okay?!" Zukto looked around after the flash of the Deku Nut subsided to confirm that no one was missing. No one had really moved, except to cover their eyes after the Deku Nut exploded.

"We're fine, Zukto. Well, mostly fine." Link looked over to Zelda, who was clearly distraught.

"Sister, sister, please: say something!" Azera pleaded frantically.

"Azera… your sister gets like this sometimes. She needs some time to collect herself." Wrath explained solemnly.

"Wh-what is that supposed to mean?" Azera furrowed her brow.

"Zelda said she would explain everything, right? It wouldn't be right if we did it without her permission. Just give her a little more time, okay?" Zukto reassured the younger Hylian princess. Azera looked like she was begrudgingly going to accept his point.

"Zukto… you need to retrieve the book from Zelda." Ricando suddenly requested. Everyone looked over at the older man, wondering what the sudden interjection was for.

"B-book? What book?"

"The one you read back in Hyrule, remember?"

"A-ah, right, that book. Wait, you think Zelda has that book right now?"

"Of course she does. Why would I tell you to grab something that was not there?" Ricando looked impatient.

"Er, right, um…" Zukto looked over at Zelda again, who still looked like she was not cognizant of what was going on. At first, he was not even sure where she would be able to store a book: she never carried a bag of any kind. But he remembered that she had, on separate occasions, pulled her ocarina out from her cloak. Perhaps the book was hiding in her cloak? He reached into it, and after a bit of fumbling around, brushed his hand against something that felt like a rectangle.

To his surprise, the book was in flawless condition.

"W-wait a second, this is has been with her the whole time right? She fell into the river with this book. How is this thing not completely destroyed?" Zukto marveled at the strange book.

"That book is not merely a book, Zukto. _The Origin of Darkness_ has a will much like you do." Ricando explained.

"Wh-what exactly do you mean by that?" Zukto was bemused.

" _The Origin of Darkness_ has the will to live, an instinct to protect itself. That's not all… it also chooses who can read it."

"Wait a second… chooses who can read it…? So that's why Kyoshiro said that what I was reading to him wasn't the same thing he read! I guess that means… the book didn't choose him? But why did it choose me?"

"Zukto, must I explain everything? Of course you can read _The Origin of Darkness_ : your parents are keepers of ancient knowledge. You were destined to take up their mantle before long, naturally." Ricando pointed out.

"How intriguing, a book that hides its contents from people by showing them something else when they turn its pages." Wrath's interest was clearly piqued.

"By the way, Sentinel…" Ricando began.

"Just call me Wrath."

"You originally had no name or title: you were merely Sentinel."

"I originally…? What are you implying?"

"… Did you lose your memories?" Ricando's eyes narrowed, trying to figure out if Wrath was purposely deceiving them.

"… My memories… yes. I never said this to anyone, not even my Master, but I cannot remember what I was doing or where I came from before I awoke in Hyrule one day." Wrath automatically responded, almost as if it did not concern him one way or another.

"… I do not know how much truth you speak, Sentinel… but I will watch you for the time being. At any rate, we will have to be careful. Darkness Orb knows that we have a Sentinel on our side, and they seem to know who you are." Ricando observed.

"That is true: Wrath, Shaikh Ethe was speaking as if he knew you personally." Link confirmed.

"Perhaps Zukto is not the only one here who came to Hyrule from Charcai." Wrath simply shrugged.

"You seem oddly calm about all of this." Zukto pointed out.

"Calm about what? Do I need to be freaking out about something? Frankly, I could care less what they say about me or whatever they used to know about me. Whatever happened back then… it is staying in the past. I already decided what my future will be, and I have no desire to change course for their sakes."

"And what is it that you decided?" Ricando pressed.

"I pledge my life to serving Her Highness, Princess Zelda of Hyrule. On that day, so many centuries ago, I awoke and stared across the vast land of Hyrule. Because I had no memories of my former life, it was like I was seeing everything for the first time. Hyrule truly captured my heart that day… but even though I felt some kind of strange connection to my new home, none of the people who were born and raised here had ever welcomed me among them. They regarded me and the others with suspicion and contempt. And of course when the other interlopers started to get aggressive, I was lumped in with them. But I never wanted what they wanted. So I turned my back on them.

After searching for so long… I found Master Impa. Being with her did help to ease my restlessness a bit, but I still felt like something was missing. When I came to this time to be with this Zelda, I finally understood what I wanted: I wanted to be among friends. Never have I felt so at home. She helped me to find what my heart yearned for, and for that I owe her."

"… Lord Charcai's judgement was right after all, it seems." Ricando mused.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Zukto furrowed his brow.

"… Zukto, open the book. Find the section about the Sentinels." Ricando requested.

Zukto was admittedly curious, so he opened up the book.

"You guys, do we really need to do that here?! We need to get somewhere safer, and my sister needs help!" Azera sounded exasperated.

 _Actually, where we are right now is quite safe thanks to your efforts._ The wolf spirit's voice resounded.

"We still have one more job to do, naturally: we must purify the mountain. But before we do that, Zukto will read to us. Go on now." Ricando insisted.

"Okay, so… this section is labeled 'The Sentinels.'

'While Krandses was giving birth to who would eventually become the mortal inhabitants of Charcai, he also used his magic to create a regiment of powerful, undying sorcerer soldiers he referred to as 'the Sentinels.' These beings had considerable powers, and were meant to serve as his personal bodyguards.

He intentionally created them to be unlike mortals: he poured his magic into shadows, forming them into a human-like shape and instilling within them the ability to communicate as humans do. He branded each one of them with his insignia so that his enemies would know to tread lightly if one of them was nearby. Every single one of them possessed mastery over controlling the shadows.

Each Sentinel eventually developed its own personality after watching the mortals created by Krandses. After a time, a hierarchy developed within the group of Sentinels: it became clear to Krandses that two of the Sentinels in particular were more powerful and charismatic than the others, so the rest of the Sentinels would defer to their judgment in most cases. After watching these two Sentinels closely, Krandses bestowed them with the titles of Sentinel Pride and Sentinel Wrath.'" Zukto stopped here, looking over at Wrath to see what his reaction would be.

Wrath still looked rather ambivalent.

"Who even wrote this book? Can we trust that the author is reporting everything truthfully?" He casually asked.

"Well, we don't really know who wrote it, it's true…"

"You deny the truth of this tome? What then is that on your chest?" Ricando motioned to the Sentinel's chest, which was half covered with a piece of cloth that was draped and securely fastened over his shoulder. Zukto realized what Ricando was drawing attention to: there appeared to be some kind of marking on Wrath's chest which was green.

Wrath had already been traveling with them for a while, but Zukto had never really thought about what the green marking could have been. After all, he had heard that some Hylian races, including the Gorons, had tattoos.

In Wrath's defense, he had no idea when or why he had gotten the marking on his chest. But he tried his best to brace himself for what was coming. He undid the fastening that was keeping the cloth secured on his shoulder. The piece of cloth fell, hanging limply by his side.

Link was the first one to put two and two together.

"By the Gods… that symbol on your chest is the same one depicted on Kyoshiro's tabard." He quietly observed.

"... But that would mean… Kyoshiro really was working for them the entire time. Why else would Krandses' insignia be on his tabard?" Zukto sighed, not liking the direction their conversation was taking.

Zelda still had not been able to overcome her distress after seeing Ruellian change into Torgaz.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit…!" Zelda covered her face with her hands as her whole body trembled.

"Sister, please, talk to me…" Azera had listened to Zukto briefly, but she was much more concerned about Zelda's deteriorating mental condition.

"They are dead, they are dead because of me…" Zelda muttered.

"Sister, everyone is okay! The enemy retreated." Azera insisted.

"Nothing is not okay! Those bastards killed my parents!" Zelda shouted.

"Our mother and father are still alive!" Azera cried.

"He is not my father! He gave me away!" Zelda lamented.

"W-what…? Sister, what did you just say?" Azera stared wide-eyed at her older sister, who was barely holding herself together.

"You want to know the truth…? I will tell you the truth. On the day I was born, our Father told the entire Kingdom that I died and then sent me to live in Kakariko Village for fifteen years. That is why you never met me, that is why you never saw me. And to top it off, the entire time I was in that village, everyone lied to me. I did not know that my name was Zelda or that I was a princess: I only knew myself as Azera, the daughter of Lillia and Torgaz.

To this day, nobody knows who I am. Zelda does not exist." Zelda looked tormented at first, but by the time she finished speaking her expression was more bitter.

Azera was completely blindsided by the explanation her sister shared. She was not sure what she expected before her sister started speaking, but now she found herself with more questions about her family than she ever thought she would have.

"B-but why?!"

"That bastard Kkladekk is why! Everything is his fault! He ruined my life! I just wanted to live with Lillia and Torgaz… why did he have to take them away from me…?" Zelda's eyes overflowed with tears.

 _What in Nayru's name is going on here? My sister was raised in Kakariko Village with no knowledge of what her identity was… I guessed before that she suffered, but I clearly was not prepared for this._

 _I truly am a fool… this whole time, I thought being with her would be fun like when we would play together at the Castle. But that world of innocence no longer exists, does it? This is truly what the world is like, the world that my sister has struggled in for so long already._

Zukto and everyone else stopped their conversation when Zelda started raising her voice.

"Someone needs to make Zelda return to her senses; she will just slow us down in her current condition." Ricando pointed out. Zukto sighed, feeling frustrated. Of course Zelda was hurting: who would not be hurting in her situation? But that did not override the fact that Zukto wanted to get his brother back. How could he possibly save his brother's life and allow Zelda to be at peace with her parents' murder at the same time?

Link walked over to Azera and Zelda, kneeling down to be closer to them. Azera looked up at Link, her expression pained and uncertain.

"It will be okay, Azera. I promise." Link quietly assured the young woman, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

"But, but my sister…"

"Your sister is strong. We need to believe in her, okay?"

"O-of course."

"Zelda, we're in this together remember? Our fight is far from over, so we'll need your help." Link mostly just said that to get the older Princess' attention. She looked up at him, noticing that he had his Ocarina out again. Link began to play a familiar tune.

As soon as Link started playing, Azera perked up and began to sing.

"Goddesses please heed our prayer; we are powerless without you.

Goddesses, we see your sign; now we seek your aid.

My voice is calling out-now there can be no doubt

Your magic shall bring forth the light!"

Partway through the song, Zelda also quietly sang in time to the tune. As soon as the three of them were finished, a calming light flowed from underneath them and began to bathe the entire cave in a soft glow.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Zukto looked around frantically.

Zelda, Azera, and Link all stared at each other in amazement.

"There are words to Zelda's Lullaby? You never told me, Zelda." Link raised an eyebrow.

"I, well, I am not really sure that those words were part of the original song created ages ago by one of my ancestors. I just… when I was younger… Impa only whistled the song to me. I always thought that it sounded too lonely that way, so I… I made up words to it that helped me pretend that the Goddesses might answer my prayers." Zelda muttered quietly, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"I think your song is lovely, sister!" Azera insisted.

"Lovely or not… I am curious to know what exactly happened just now." The older Princess seemed at least a little less distressed.

"Praise Hyrule and her Gods! This is amazing!" Ricando declared, clearly excited about something.

"What's up, Ricando?" Zukto raised an eyebrow at him.

"The song the two Princesses sang! They restored the divine power to Mount Samekh! We have cleansed the evil that consumed the mountain!"

 _What Ricando says is correct: the mountain has been completely cleansed of the evil aura left behind by Krandses' followers. It appears that I am once again in your debt, young heroes. I shall call my pack back to the mountain; please give me a few minutes._ The wolf spirit quickly ran down a tunnel, headed towards the entrance of the den and the summit of Mount Samekh.

"I… I never realized that my dumb little song would be of use." Zelda still looked embarrassed.

"That Krandses guy doesn't stand a chance, now! There is nothing he can do to stop us, since we have this secret weapon! My sister is the greatest!" Azera declared proudly, hugging Zelda. Zelda looked a bit bemused for a moment, but she could not stop a small smile from spreading on her face.

"I do not really know what is so great about me. After all, you are the one who started it; I cannot take the credit for your idea."

"But the song only exists because of you!"

"You two are truly a force to be reckoned with." Link remarked, smiling gently.

"That's right! Nothing can stop us now, right Sister?"

"This will take a little getting used to, knowing that my sister really is not a typical, young girl. But I think having you around will be a great help, Azera. I think we should start over: Azera, my dear younger sister, will you consider lending us your power in the fight against Darkness Orb?"

"I still do not know what that is, but I will always be by your side. I swear on my life that I will fight with you until the very end. I won't slow you down, I promise!" Azera eagerly responded.

"I can already tell: you will not slow us down. Already, your powers have gotten me out of a couple of bad situations. I think I owe you." Zelda smiled gently at her younger sister before kissing her on the cheek. Even though the kiss was brief, Azera's face started to glow red.

"Y-you don't owe me anything!" Azera stammered.

"Well, um… now what?" Zelda suddenly asked everyone else. They had accomplished exactly what they set out to do.

"Ricando, do you know of any other regions that have been tainted like the shrine here? Now that we know how to purify them, we could focus on that task." Zukto offered.

"Yes, now that we know how to purify Charcai's shrines… this will make things a bit easier. I shall seek out the nearest shrine, but I may need a little time before I can discern where we need to travel to."

"Okay, seeking out these shrines… but we are no closer to getting Kyoshiro back." Zelda looked at the ground, gripping her arm.

"What exactly happened to him? He is on your side, isn't he? At least, I thought he was." Azera furrowed her brow.

"Kkladekk did it; I know he did something to him! Kkladekk just has to interfere with everything, and it pisses me off." Zelda grumbled.

 _I would like to know the truth… did Kkladekk really do something to Kyoshiro, or has everything been an act? I wouldn't put it past them to orchestrate this betrayal… after all, it seems almost too convenient that Kyoshiro grabbed one of the ancient relics we supposedly need to accomplish our mission right before Kkladekk revealed their connection to each other. But why was Kyoshiro with them at all?_ Zukto felt very uneasy about this situation.

"If this area is safe once again, perhaps we should find shelter until we are ready to set out again. I do believe that Princess Zelda is quite exhausted." Kaepora Gaebora hooted.

"We can return to the tower where my parents are, but that will be quite a walk back." Zukto pointed out.

"They would probably have a better idea of where we need to go, anyway." Link added.

"I seem to recall that you mentioned being from a place called Immolate Throne. Where is that city located?" Zelda suddenly asked, directing her question at Zukto.

"Well, this is the Samekh region of Charcai: same name as the mountain. At first when we arrived, I was not entirely sure where we were because I had never been out here before. When I saw that mountain though, I got a sense of our location relative to the rest of Charcai. We are far to the West right now; Immolate Throne is far to the East. I would very much like to journey in that direction, but it does not have to be a priority. If we find shrines between here and there, we should definitely purify them. Any little thing we can do to weaken Krandses is a good thing, as far as I can tell."

"Yes, Zukto, anything we can do to weaken Krandses will make our fight easier in the long run. That which hinders him will ultimately help Charcai get his powers back."

 _So purifying these shrines really will make Krandses weaker? I sure hope so, because that would make killing him and his followers a whole lot easier. I need to keep getting stronger too, so that I will be ready when the time comes._

"By the way… I still do not much care whether I really was one of these so-called Sentinels, however… that book seems to have a lot of information in it. I was curious as to whether it explains what happened to the Sentinels after Charcai sealed Krandses away." Wrath spoke up, trying to act like he was less interested than he was. Somehow, the book seemed to have an answer for everything: did it have an answer for why he could not remember his life on Charcai, or why he woke up in Hyrule?

"Wait a second, what is a Sentinel?" Zelda interjected. Due to her breakdown from earlier, she had missed that part of the conversation.

"... It seems that the true identity of the Interlopers has been found. Supposedly, the Interlopers were created by Krandses himself. On Charcai, they are known as Sentinels." Wrath watched Zelda because he was honestly curious about her reaction.

"The Interlopers came from Charcai… I must admit that such a theory is not so far-fetched. But you speak as if you did not know this until just recently."

"I have no memories of my life before I woke up in Hyrule one day."

"Just like Zukto!"

"Except Zukto kept all of his memories… I would love to know why or how mine seemed to have disappeared. Not that I particularly care about my old life… I just think some closure would be nice."

"In any case, what I said to you before still stands: you have fought by our side unquestioningly. I value you as an ally Wrath: if you wish to stay with us, I am more than happy to have you on the team. Your past is of no concern to me if you think that remaining with us is more important."

"I swear to you, Princess Zelda, that I would rather die than work with Krandses and his ilk. They have no love for Hyrule or her people, so it is our duty to stop them no matter what."

"I am so relieved that you are fighting for Hyrule's sake."

 _I am the one who is relieved, Princess. The fact that you did not even flinch when I told you about my supposed origins… so evil people really can find redemption after all. I have no memories of my past, but I can only assume that I have done some unsavory things. After all, if I was required to follow Krandses' orders…_

Zukto marveled at how they discovered yet another thread that kept their fates bound together. It made sense now that Wrath was among them: at one point, he had been working for their enemy. Perhaps thanks to the Gods themselves, he had a change of heart. But then Zukto wondered if somehow Wrath's situation was similar to Kyoshiro's.

"I am interested to know more too, of course. Anything we can learn about our enemy will surely help us." Link nodded.

"Okay, let's see what else the book says…

'The Sentinels were at first directed to act as 'peacekeepers' in Krandses' budding city because he wanted to establish the Sentinels as a group of authority among the mortals. His plan worked: the Sentinels were in charge of punishing especially violent or unruly people. The worst criminals were publicly punished so as to be made examples of. It did not take long for the majority of the mortals to adhere to the basic rules that Krandses made up to ensure that the humans would not spend all of their time destroying others' property or otherwise being a burden.

The Sentinels really did not have much chance to utilize the magic that Krandses bestowed them with while they were living among the mortals. When the time came for the great battle in the realm of the Gods, however, Krandses told them that they no longer had to restrain themselves. The Sentinels happily tested the limits of their magic, leaving a massive trail of destruction in their wake. Sentinels Pride and Wrath were far and away the most brutal of the two, and it is largely thanks to them that Krandses kept up his assault for as long as he did.

After Charcai defeated his brother, he was trying to decide what to do with the Sentinels. Sentinel Pride, of course, would not allow himself to agree with Charcai that he had committed any sins. Charcai did not know this yet, but Pride's name was well-deserved. He committed himself to not only defending his own honor but that of his Master's as well. He could not admit that he did anything wrong, because he acted on Krandses' orders. To admit that he did something wrong would be to imply that Krandses also deserved to be punished, a fact that Pride obstinately opposed.

Wrath was a different case, though. The other Sentinels were lamenting about their fate: surely Charcai was going to destroy them, they assumed. But Wrath, usually the quieter of the two, showed everyone that day why his name was aptly given. He gave an especially angry, albeit passionate, speech to his comrades in arms:

'How dare you call yourselves the elite Sentinels of Lord Krandses! He was gracious enough to pour his magic, his soul, his very being, into the shadows that gave birth to us. Without him, we would be as useless and brainless as the dirt you step on. You repay his favor with such spinelessness, such cowardice? I am embarrassed to be counted among you: face your fate with dignity. I for one would rather die with my pride and honor intact than live among such weaklings who only act remorseful when it suits their needs.'

Charcai heard Wrath's impassioned words, and was moved by his loyalty and inner strength. Lord Charcai could see that Wrath was implicitly admitting that he understood that he was at fault for his actions, and needed to accept the consequences born of such decisions. Lord Charcai then decided to punish the Sentinels thusly: Pride would be sealed away like Krandses was; a few of the lesser Sentinels were stripped of their powers and thus returned to the shadows where they came from; finally, Wrath and the remaining Sentinels were banished to some distant land and stripped of all of their memories.

Charcai sincerely hoped that Sentinel Wrath, lacking his memories, would be able to start a new life in some unknown land. He prayed for Wrath to overcome the evil influence of his brother because he could sense that Wrath's quiet passions could be a force to fight against darkness and evil; however, Charcai wanted Wrath to choose that path for himself without coercion. To this day, no one knows what became of Wrath.'"

"... Lord Charcai spared me. He could have easily destroyed me, and yet… he wanted me to have a second chance. By the Gods… I do not deserve this." Wrath suddenly sounded choked up. He was the first one to speak after a stunned silence befell the group.

"But you do deserve this! Look at all of the good you have done for Hyrule! Honestly, I do not know what I would do without you." Zelda quickly countered.

"All I ever wanted after I woke up in Hyrule was to feel like I had a place to belong. Zelda, you gave me that and more. Helping you is the least I can do… I wonder if I will ever be able to repay your kindness. But now, your kindness is not the only debt I must repay: I owe Charcai perhaps the biggest debt of all. Without His mercy, I would not be here to fight beside you." Zelda blushed, surprised by Wrath's gratitude.

 _Am I really so kind? After all, he was ordered to follow me back to my time by his old Master. Did I ever go out of my way to help Wrath?_

"Lord Charcai's insight really is trenchant. Hyrule is fighting for salvation and needs all the help she can get… and she is most thankful, I believe, to have Wrath on her side. Praise be to Lord Charcai for not only showing his soul mercy, but also presenting Hyrule with an invaluable ally." Ricando looked quite pleased.

"Wrath, you are truly incredible! There were others banished too, right? But where are they?" Azera looked puzzled.

"The others made some bad choices, and they were punished for their transgressions."

"Why didn't you follow them? Even though none of you had your memories, you must have realized that you were family."

"Yeah, we assumed from the beginning that we were somehow related. We looked too similar to one another, and much too strange in comparison to the Hylian natives we saw.

But as for why my fate was different than theirs… I can only guess it was due to how I perceived the world around me when I awoke. Something about the soul of Hyrule stirred up feelings of tranquility in me that I probably never experienced before. Maybe that could be attributed to your Goddesses' constant presence… back on Charcai, we only had Lord Krandses. My memories of that time still have not come back, but I can only guess that the divine power of the Goddesses makes Hyrule feel very different in comparison to how Krandses' magic changes Charcai."

"I believe I know exactly what you mean, hoo. Hyrule is quite beautiful, is it not?" Kaepora nodded.

"By the way, Azera, where did you find your new friend anyway?" Link looked over at the human-sized owl with amazement.

"I was speaking to the Goddesses right up until they told me where I could find Sister. I kind of hurried off without speaking to Mother or Father… so I think the Goddesses sent word to them that I left. When they found out, they asked a friend of theirs to look after me." Azera looked sheepish when she admitted to running away from home without saying anything.

"Your parents knew a talking owl? This world is rather mysterious, isn't it?" Link mused.

"I do believe that I can be of use to you, especially when it comes to finding landmarks or towns. For the time being, I hope we can work together. Like Azera, I am unable to return to Hyrule by my own power. Once we all discover a route home, however, I will likely return to my usual business.

At that point, I believe that Azera will no longer need my guidance. After all, she has all of you. She has much to learn yet, but I am confident that she will learn a lot simply by working with you. Hoo hoo."

"Aww, you have to leave us Kaepora?" Azera looked disappointed.

"But of course: my task is to guide fledglings, not mature young ladies." Kaepora Gaebora seemed amused by something.

"But, to answer your concern from earlier Azera… we really do not know what or who the 'Darkness Orb' is either. We do know that the people who work with Krandses call themselves Darkness Orb as a group, but…" Zelda paused here.

"I was thinking that the name is too strange on its own. It has to possess some meaning, right?" Zukto added.

"Would our book happen to have the answer to this question as well?" Zelda inquired.

"No… I am afraid the true answer to this question lies not in our book, but in the _other_ book." Ricando explained.

"Other book?" Link questioned.

"Yes, of course… it must be hidden within _The Kingdom of Darkness_." Zelda guessed, remembering the second book Zukto mentioned before.

"We have no idea where to find that book, though. And even if we do find it..." Link began.

"We cannot read it. Remember what Zukto read to us back in Hyrule? Only Krandses' 'chosen one' may read it. Therefore, finding the book seems to be a lesson in futility." Zelda finished.

"I think you are missing a vital, though rather obvious, element of this puzzle. We already know who the 'chosen' one is, so it stands to reason that we know where the book is." Wrath interjected.

"... I suppose that yes, it seems obvious that Kkladekk would be Krandses' chosen one." Zelda acknowledged Wrath's point, though she still did not see a point to it. After all, how would they force Kkladekk to read the contents of the book to them? They would have no way to verify the veracity of it even if he did read something to them.

"M-my brother, he is being controlled. So if we could just…" Zukto seemed nervous.

"If we could _what_ , Zukto? Politely ask him to disobey an angry god who lives inside of him? I could not think of an idea more foolhardy than that." Zelda was, of course, speaking from experience.

"Well, that's…" Zukto paused here, knowing that he had no suggestions or rebuttals. He still believed that he had to help his brother, and talking to his mother and father for the first time in eight years strengthened his resolve to do just that. However, circumstances being what they were…

Suddenly, howling echoed through the cave. Link turned his head towards the only tunnel back up to the surface, where the howling was coming from.

"Everyone returned safely." Link commented, smiling gently.

"Everyone? You mean the pack of wolves?" Azera asked.

 _Yes. I called to my pack and told them that it was safe to come back home. They are all relieved that the invaders have been chased out. For this service, young heroes, we will always be in your debt._ The wolf spirit from before trotted over to Zelda's group, projecting his thoughts into their minds.

"By the way, what can we call you?" Link asked.

… _For the longest time, I was forbidden from speaking my own name. However, I can tell that Zukto has a connection to Lord Charcai himself, so I feel no remorse over breaking my promise. My name is Samekh, God of Beasts. You probably already noticed, but this mountain and indeed this entire region were named after me. Of course, the mortals in this area do not know that. The knowledge that every region of Charcai is named after a deity was lost long, long ago._

"Oh, so you belong to the pantheon of Charcaian deities?" Zelda observed.

 _Of course. I was there on the fateful day that Krandses betrayed us Gods, and I helped Charcai to restore the city of the mortals after Krandses was captured the first time._

"So if we keep traveling, we can meet with Charcai's other gods?" Zukto looked mystified, clearly surprised to be saying such a thing. Even a year ago, he had not known that Charcai had its own gods…

 _Zukto, your journey in fact necessitates it. Right now, Charcai is being poisoned by Krandses' dark magic. You must travel to the places that have already been claimed by Krandses' forces and purify them. When you do this, the god who resides in that region will be able to add his or her power to your own._

 _I believe it would be prudent to keep your ears open to the gossip around you. If you hear about fantastical events that do not seem to make much sense, such as a lake mysteriously going dry or a region freezing over, you can bet that Krandses' magic is at fault. The people living in such regions will undoubtedly be suffering; please aide them in the same way that you aided me and my family._

"We will stop Darkness Orb no matter what: I promise you that." Zelda declared.

 _In the meantime, however, might I suggest that you remain here to rest? I know your night was particularly rough. No matter where you want to go from here, you have quite a hike down the mountain ahead of you. There is no need to push yourselves to exhaustion. You will be safe here._

 _Oh, yes, if you are hungry, we can share our hunt with you. We owe you at least that much._

"I think Lord Samekh's suggestion is prudent: let us rest for a while." Ricando agreed.

"We can do that; I will go outside and build a small fire to cook." Link suggested, getting up to do just that. Zukto made to go with him. Part of him wanted to make sure that Zelda was doing okay, but he knew how badly Azera wanted to talk to her older sister. He felt like they needed some time alone, and now was as good a time as any for them to have a private conversation.

 _Ricando… it has been a long time, my friend._ Samekh projected this thought to Ricando privately.

 _Lord Samekh, I am relieved to see that you are well after all of these years._

 _How fortuitous for us that the boy, Zukto, is developing into a great man. He will no doubt be able to save Charcai. My worries are almost completely laid to rest after seeing them._

 _Something still bothering you?_

 _Not about Zukto, no. What worries me is Lord Charcai… he is still nowhere to be found. How is it that Lord Krandses woke up before Lord Charcai? If Lord Charcai were here, things would not have gotten this bad. I can only pray that he returns to us soon._

 _The reason why Krandses woke up before Lord Charcai is because he could hear the prayers of his supporters. His supporters never forgot about him. But because Lord Charcai erased the memory of his existence from the hearts and minds of his supporters, he is left with no one to pray to him. Perhaps we need to end the Silence for good…_

 _But how would we announce our existence to the humans? And further, what would our response be when they get mad at us for hiding in the shadows for so long? Surely they will blame us for allowing them to suffer all this time._

 _I was a mere human once: you know that. Humans can be selfish at times, but there will be those who will not give in to such arrogance. It is pure arrogance to think that a lone human could devise a better plan to fight against Darkness Orb._

 _I see your point, however… can we really say that Lord Charcai's plan was the best way? Lord Krandses did get weaker in some ways, but because he woke up before Lord Charcai… now, I fear that Lord Charcai will be the weaker one._

 _Have faith in Zukto and his friends. I believe they are the key to restoring Lord Charcai's power to him, and further it will be by their hands that Lord Charcai will be able to return to us. Zukto returned to us after eight long years… he was destined to return, just as he is destined to lead the people of Charcai out of this Age of Darkness. Krandses' day of judgment is approaching: of this I am certain._

 _It is apparent to me why Lord Charcai spoke so fondly of you._

 _Lord Samekh, please, I have done nothing worthy of praise. If anything, I deserve the ire of all of Charcai. It is by my hands that…_ Ricando was grief stricken all of a sudden.

 _You blame yourself, even after all of this time?_

 _You would blame yourself too if you were the human who was directly responsible for The Silence. You Gods suffer needlessly because of my failings._

 _Ricando… I do not, and never have, bear you any ill will. What happened was not your fault, it was because of-_

 _It was because I was weak. I should have known better than to acknowledge His wicked pleas. It was a fitting punishment, I think, that Lord Charcai forced me to become immortal. I can see the consequences of my actions every single day. I will never allow myself to forget that the state of Charcai today is my fault._

 _I do not deserve to be forgiven. But that does not mean that I am content to leave things as they are. I have but one wish… I wish that Lord Charcai could return to this land. As long as I am alive, I will not be satisfied until he comes back. He suffered more than anyone else thanks to my weakness, so I need to try to make amends as best I can._

As Lord Samekh and Ricando talked privately, Zelda and Azera were sitting together. At first, an awkward silence hung between them. Zelda knew she had to say something, but she felt completely unprepared for what she was about to do. Part of her had wondered, before Azera revealed her true nature to everyone, if she was ever going to tell her younger sister 'the truth' about her life. But now, Azera knew something was going on. Zelda knew full well that Azera was not going to let the older princess blow this off.

"So, um, sister, I…" Zelda began, her mouth feeling a bit dry. Why was this so hard all of a sudden?

"... When I was born, you did not live at the Castle. Why was that? Mother and Father told me that I had an older sister, but I think they lied to me back then about what you were doing." Azera began, getting the feeling that her older sister would have an easier time answering direct questions.

"The reason… the reason I did not live at the Castle with you is because… I did not know that I was the Princess." Zelda began quietly. Azera's eyes widened.

"What?! But how could you not know?!"

"I was born in the Castle like you were. According to Father, on the day of my birth, our sworn enemy, Kkladekk appeared at the Castle and demanded an audience. Our Father did not know who Kkladekk was at the time, so he agreed to meet with him to see if the matter could be handled quickly. After all, I was born on Ascension Day. It is a major holiday, as you know. He wanted to spend time with his wife and new child, as any father would.

When he met with Kkladekk, though, he figured out that the matter would not be so easily handled. Kkladekk presented Father with an ultimatum: either Father give me up, or everyone in Hyrule Castle Town would be slaughtered." Zelda paused here, waiting for her sister's reaction. Azera held a hand over her mouth, truly terrified.

"But why…?! How…?! That is truly awful!" Azera breathed.

"Luckily, Father has never been one to crack under pressure. He quickly thought of a way to smuggle me outside of the Castle and trick Kkladekk into dropping the matter all together: Father found a baby who was also born inside the Castle, the baby of a servant woman. This child, likely by the Gods' decree, died the same day I was born. Father took this child from its grieving mother and presented it to Kkladekk. He apparently fell for the ruse, at least at the time, because he did drop the matter. He left the Castle, no one was killed, and I was sent away to live somewhere else. The matter seemed to have been dealt with, but…"

"So Father proclaimed you dead… and you were raised with no knowledge of your true identity?"

"Correct."

"I guess… you must have been raised in Kakariko Village; that is where you always ran off to, isn't it?"

"Y-yes, I was raised in Kakariko."

"Well if you did not know that you were the princess, what did they call you when you were younger?" Azera cocked her head to the side.

"... My foster parents… they named me… Azera." Zelda barely whispered.

"By the Gods! Our names are the same?!"

"I actually think that Father purposely named you Azera as a way to honor Lillia and Torgaz, my foster mother and father. He knew that once he revealed my true identity to me that I would forever be 'Zelda.' And he could not have two daughters named Zelda, so he gave you the fake name that my foster parents gave me. In a way, I do think that it was a nice gesture on his part. However, hearing that name… it makes me hear her voice inside of my head and I just…" Zelda buried her face in her hands. She was trembling slightly.

"... Sister… what happened… to them?" Azera was clearly hesitating.

"On the day of my tenth birthday, I was outside playing with some of the village kids. We were later going to have a celebration of both my birthday and Ascension Day, as we always did. Mother and Father were busy preparing for the evening's festivities. At one point in the afternoon, I rushed home because I wanted to show Mother something I made with some of the other kids. But when I entered our house… Mother and Father were already dead: they had been violently murdered." Like so many nights over the last ten years, the vivid image of their mangled bodies and the blood filled her head… Zelda felt sick to her stomach.

"By the Gods… dear Sister, I had no idea… how truly awful… but… what happened after that? I was still not alive at that point."

"Master Impa took me in. To this day, I am not entirely sure why Father did not take me in at that point. It seems clear to me that I was not safe in that village. What if I had been home at the same time that my parents' murderer showed up? What if I had been killed too? Or taken away? Neither of those scenarios would have been good for him, and yet… he thought it prudent to leave me to suffer on my own.

Father finally revealed himself, and my true identity, when I was fifteen. You were three at the time. I really did not want to go with him, you know. I wanted desperately to stay with Master Impa. But she insisted that I go with him, so I did albeit reluctantly. That is why I always ran away to Kakariko… I wanted to be with Master Impa.

You probably noticed how angry I was with him all the time… I am sure you were confused by it. But I just… I cannot possibly explain how hurt I was. I felt like he was using me. All of those years I was raised in Kakariko, thinking I was a simple peasant girl. Several people in the village, Master Impa being one of them, knew the truth. But they were forbidden from saying anything. And when I was hurting, when I felt like I had absolutely nothing left to live for, my Father did not come to comfort me. He left me to despair.

When he finally did come to get me, he immediately dove into business. He told me all of the things I had to do, had to study… he acted like the years that had separated us never happened. I lashed out at him, believing he had no right to give me orders or direct my life. Really, I still feel that way. If he wanted to order me around, he should have kept me. If I had been raised as his daughter from the beginning, I am sure that I would have listened to him and been a demure princess.

But my training with Master Impa gave me a sense of independence that could not be stifled. I listened to her without question, except on matters dealing with my Father, because I respected her. But Father had never earned my respect. It is hard to blindly respect someone who lied to you for so long, at least that is what I feel.

I understand that he made a difficult decision all of those years ago, I do. But why did he leave me alone for so long? That is what I cannot figure out…"

"So when you finally came back to the Castle… that was shortly after Father finally told you the truth. Wow… trying to imagine what that must have been like for you… a girl who believed that she was a commoner, suddenly thrown into the Castle and told to live according to her status. No wonder you never let any of the servants get close to you. You never felt like you were one of us, did you?"

"No. It did not help matters that everyone was forbidden from talking about me. The servants and the guards knew who I was, because Father wanted them to respect my commands. But the members of the Royal Court had no idea who I was. Father lied to them all the time about who I was, I think. They certainly would have noticed me there, a young woman who was dressed the part of nobility. So I truly felt like I had no place at the Castle. I was a stranger in my own home, a stranger to my own people. To this day, they still are under strict orders to keep the secret of my identity."

"I noticed that as I got older. I would hear Father talking to some important diplomat at some party, but for one you were never at those parties and no one seemed to know about you."

"Hah! Me, at one of those stuffy parties? Please. Why would I stuff myself into one of those godforsaken dresses and stand around while men ogle you and make inappropriate comments about your body… everyone gets drunk and stupid… ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off. And anyway, ever since… ever since I… I cannot show my face around people anymore." Zelda sighed, looking away from Azera. Azera carefully looked at the strange marking that circled her sister's left eye.

"You have touched on most of the main points, Sister… but, can we please… talk about… what happened on your twentieth birthday?" Zelda looked back at Azera, their eyes locking. Azera firmly held her sister's gaze. Zelda sighed, knowing she could not delay it any longer.

"I had spent the night before my birthday at Master Impa's. She insisted that I return to Hyrule Castle Town to listen to Father's usual Ascension Day speech. And of course, after the speech the idea was that I would have dinner with you and Father and Mother. However… Master Impa revealed something to me that morning that had been tormenting me for years. I never knew who killed my parents. But as fate would have it, she figured out the truth.

As soon as she told me, I was filled with such rage. The only thing on my mind was confronting their murderer so I could avenge them. I rode to Hyrule Castle Town as fast as I could, trying to mentally prepare myself. I did attend the speech, but not to listen to Father. I was watching Him the entire time, and He noticed me in the crowd. We both kept an eye on each other the whole time… when Father finally finished, I followed after Him. He knew that I wanted to speak to Him. We met in an alley, and…" Zelda paused here.

"Who was it?!" Azera whispered.

"... Ganondorf." Zelda clenched her fist. Azera covered her mouth.

"But…! But Ganondorf is…!"

"Ganondorf is an esteemed member of Father's Court, yes. Good to know that Father works with murderers." Zelda practically spat.

"What happened?!"

"I called him a coward because he would not confess his sins to me. I was so angry, I could not control myself. I know, approaching Ganondorf by myself was incredibly stupid, but… he ruined my life. All I could think about was returning the favor.

He knew that I realistically could not stand up to him, so I think he partially drew it out a little on purpose. But he transported us to the top of Death Mountain so that no one would interfere. We fought up there, and it was there that… Ganondorf cursed me. This mark on my face is a sign that Ganondorf left a part of his soul-Demise's soul-inside of me. That is why he can control my body sometimes.

He intends to use me to get to the Triforce. He, naturally, is Power. I am Wisdom. If he controls me, that means he automatically has two thirds of the Triforce under his control. If he can control me, that means that he is the most powerful being in all of Hyrule. Nothing can stop him…" Zelda looked pained.

"But that is only if he can control you! I helped you earlier, Sister, and I swear that I will always help you. We won't let him win. If you were completely on your own, then I can see why this would be easy for him to accomplish. But you are not alone. If he thinks I am just going to let him take you away, he is utterly mad."

"He almost got what he wanted, though…" Zelda looked distant.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"When he left this mark on my face, my hair and eye color immediately changed. He wanted me to feel isolated from everyone because my appearance would scare them. Not only that, he… erased any memory of what I used to like. He tricked me into thinking that I had always looked like that. To make matters worse, he started erasing other memories as well. At first it was just small stuff, but soon I would start forgetting entire conversations.

And when I returned home just a short while ago, you know, that was the first time you had seen me since my transformation… all of my memories had been erased that occurred after I confronted Ganondorf on my birthday. Everything I had done together with Zukto and Kyoshiro… gone…"

"B-but you remember everything again, right?!"

"Y-yes, I do. It is because… of this." Zelda grabbed the pendant around her neck. When she grabbed it, her thoughts jumped to when Zukto confessed his feelings to her when they were inside the Well of Three Features. She blushed slightly, looking at the ground.

"But I do not want you to think that everything is okay. This is far from over… the magic this pendant contains can only act as a temporary barrier of sorts… Demise cannot be held back forever by something like this. I have to strengthen both my mind and body if I want to permanently keep Demise from controlling me. After all, he is the most powerful being to ever set foot on Hylian soil. How could I possibly…?" Zelda shook her head.

"Sister, you can do this. I have faith in you. You are so strong to have faced all of this for so long… I know, I just lived a sheltered life in the Castle before… but I swear to you that I will get stronger. I would just worry about you all the time if I stayed at home… but being here with you, I can be useful. And, and… I won't have to miss you all the time now." Azera added sheepishly. Zelda was not expecting Azera's last comment, so she looked momentarily surprised. Her face softened though, and she gently smiled at her younger sister.

"Azera, you are very sweet. I think your naivety is a good thing. Nothing good comes of being impatient, jaded, and suspicious like I am. Just think of me as a perfect example of what not to do." Zelda smiled wryly.

"I don't know, Sister… sure, the evil god inside of you is kind of a negative but besides that you are really smart and strong. The only reason I can hold my own against you is because I have some of the Goddesses' power. Without that, you would be able to take me out without a second thought. I think you're really cool, you know… going around, trying to defend Hyrule… it's not easy, is it?"

"Y-you think I am cool? Azera, you need better role models." Zelda started laughing. Azera's face lit up.

"No way. Do you know how hard it is to find women who can fight and are well-educated? You are a rare breed!"

"That is the only thing you care about?" Zelda raised her left eyebrow incredulously.

"Well, when I was living with Mother and Father, I noticed that only guys could be Knights. Why is that? Women can fight too. I think women should be allowed to be Knights. Seeing how you fight, I feel more confident that women could be good Knights too." Azera looked proud about something.

"Azera… when this is all said and done, and I inevitably take up the throne… we will work together to get more women involved with important matters of state. I agree that there are too many men. It will make things easier if we are not so completely outnumbered."

"Yeah! But I don't mean to say that all guys are bad. That guy, Zukto, he seems like he is easy to work with."

"Y-yes, he is."

"You like him… right?" Azera suddenly asked.

"I… I suppose that I do."

"You suppose?"

"Well, I… I have never felt this way about anyone before. I am honestly confused. Is this what it is like to have feelings for another person? Or am I just mistaken about what I feel?"

"I always thought it was easy to know when you like someone. I like you, Sister. I am not confused about that."

"That is different, Sister. We are both girls. Zukto is not a girl."

"Wait, what is that supposed to mean? You mean girls can't like each other the same way that a guy and a girl can? Why is that?" Azera looked puzzled. Zelda was completely taken aback by her sister's question.

"I-I think we are thinking about this from different perspectives. I am talking about from a, well, from an adult perspective. A more mature perspective, the way that an adult man and woman like each other."

"But two adult women can like each other, right?"

"I… I honestly never really thought about that before." Zelda was surprised that her sister was thinking about stuff like that.

"Okay, let us say for the sake of argument that yes, adult women can feel the same way about each other as an adult man and woman could. But why are you asking me of all people? You think I have experience with this sort of thing? And anyway, we are sisters. Liking your sister is way different than liking someone who is not in your family."

"Oh, is that what you meant? You should have said so sooner. I love my sister, and my sister loves me, but sisters have a different love than you have for Zukto. I understand that. You can love more than one person, right? So if you love Zukto, you can still love me."

"I-is that why you are so concerned? Azera, you are so silly. Of course I can still love you. How could I not?"

"I-I don't know! I don't like anyone as much as I like you… so I was worried about what might happen if you liked someone else." Azera blushed. Zelda started chuckling to herself.

 _Maybe Azera is the Princess Zelda I used to imagine when I was younger… I cannot be friends with Princess Zelda because I am her, but here is another princess who I can go on adventures with, who I can share my worries with, who will fight by side no matter how dangerous it is, who accepts me for who I am… I finally have the friend who I always wanted._ Zelda reached over and gripped Azera's hand. The younger princess looked over at Zelda in surprise.

"Thank you, Azera, for coming to find me, and thank you for not giving up even when I said that horrible stuff to you. I have been feeling lonely for quite a while now… I can think of few things that will help me as much as your presence will." Azera beamed with pride at her sister's words.

"You did not really mean to say that mean stuff to me, I know. You meant to say it to Ruellian!"

"That I did. I thought for sure that she was trying to trick me into lowering my guard."

"She must be a really terrible person to try something like that."

"Well, she has not yet gone that far. However, you saw for yourself when she last showed up that she used my memories against me… how dare she, approaching me with the face of my murdered father…" Zelda sighed.

"I… I know this is hard for you… but… you know he is gone. So when you saw her change into him, why did it affect you so badly?"

"How… how could I possibly attack someone when they wear the face of my Mother or Father? I already blame myself for their deaths. It would be even worse if I attacked them…" Zelda covered her face with one of her hands.

"But… why do you blame yourself?"

"The only reason they were killed was because they were raising me. If I had been at the Castle like I originally was supposed to be, they never would have been murdered. Ganondorf killed them as a way to send a message to the King. Ganondorf wanted our Father to know that his ruse had been discovered."

"I guess I can understand your first point. If they never had been in charge of raising you, they could have lived their lives in peace. But in any case, you did not force them to raise you. You never had a say in the matter. If you want to blame someone, it makes more sense to perhaps blame our Father. After all… why did he let them die in the first place? If I had a daughter, and someone else was taking care of her, I would obsess over her safety and well-being. I would be worried about every little thing. How could Mother and Father leave you in Kakariko with little to protect you? That town barely has walls, and very few guards live there. Am I wrong?"

"No, you are right about all of that. Kakariko is not particularly safe… after all, the lack of walls mean that monsters could storm through the town at any time. And the very few guards who are stationed there mainly are only to 'keep the peace' so to speak. They are not properly equipped or trained to deal with really dangerous beasts, and of course they would stand no chance against someone like Ganondorf… the only person who I felt like could keep Kakariko relatively safe was Master Impa herself. But even though she is quite strong, she too would stand no chance against Ganondorf. In order words, the fact that I was away from the Castle made me an easy target." Zelda sighed.

"I can see why you tried so hard to be strong, even when you were younger. You felt like you had no choice." Azera's gaze shifted to something else, though Zelda was sure that the younger princess was not looking at anything in particular.

"Yeah, I had no choice, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like it is a mistake if you only rely on others to always protect you. If you cannot protect yourself, what would happen if no one was around to help you? Or worse, what if no one actually wanted to help you? Imagining that is so frightening… I can scarcely imagine what would be worse than that."

"You never have to, though. You have me! And your other friends too." Azera seemed proud of herself.

"Just promise me that you will be careful, okay? I am happy to have you here, make no mistake about that. But please realize that I am sometimes not myself. If I ever hurt you, Azera… I would never forgive myself." Zelda muttered darkly.

"On that subject, I think I did not properly impress upon you how bad it was that you tried to kill yourself to save me! How do you think that would have made me feel, huh?!" Azera suddenly declared. Zelda was taken aback by Azera's outburst.

"I-I am sorry, Sister, I really am… I just thought that if I killed myself… everyone could be safe. Anyone who gets close to me is at risk."

"I don't want to live in this world if you aren't here!" Azera cried. Zelda's eyes widened in shock.

"Come here, you." Zelda requested when she pulled herself out of her momentary stupor. She reached out for her younger sister, pulling the woman into an embrace. Azera latched onto Zelda, already feeling better.

"On that note, Azera… if you are a demigod, that means you will outlive me by a long shot. You realize that, right? You are no longer bound by the timeline of a regular human."

"I will make you live with me! I won't let you die!" Azera stubbornly insisted.

"I… I honestly do not know how to react to that." Zelda looked a bit nervous.

"Hoo! Are you two hungry?" The flap of wings and the sound of a familiar voice interrupted their conversation.

"Oh, Kaepora Gaebora, you came to look for us? You are so thoughtful." Azera giggled.

"Perhaps we should try to eat something. Come, Azera. Thank you, Mister Gaebora, for fetching us." Zelda nodded at Azera, signaling her sister to follow her. The large owl also followed them, wanting to rejoin the group outside.

Zukto was happy to see the two princesses come out of the cave.

"There you two are. Thank you Kaepora for retrieving them." Link smiled.

"I did not realize how long we had been down in those tunnels. It is nearly daybreak!" Zelda marveled, looking up at the sky.

"It will make the trek back down the mountain easier, at least." Zukto remarked.

Azera looked around the makeshift campfire Link and Zukto had built and realized with a start that a whole bunch of wolves had settled around the fire.

"They like us now." Link chuckled, reaching over to scratch one of the wolves behind the ears. The wolf seemed to like it.

"Would you like something to eat? We have some fish." Zukto offered.

"Yes, I would like some. Thank you for preparing a meal for us."

"N-no need to worry about me. I don't really need to eat, actually." Azera wanted to make sure that her friends got enough to eat, since their strength depended on being properly rested and fed.

"The perks of being an immortal demigod, hm?" Link smirked.

"Hey if becoming a demigod is what allows me to be with my Sister, I will do whatever the Goddesses want me to do."

"I wish I had a cute sister who always wanted to be by my side. That is absolutely adorable." Link smiled gently, thinking that Zelda was lucky to have a sibling; Zukto too, for that matter. Link had always been an only child.

 _I wish my brother and I could be adventuring together too… all of this time, we could have sharing an adventure. I hope we will be able to make up for all of the lost time at some point… I sure miss him..._ Zukto morosely thought.

Finally, Ricando rejoined Zukto's group.

"Everyone seems to be in decent shape. So, when are we heading out?"

"After we eat, I suppose we could leave. Anyone object to that?" Zukto asked the group.

"Not really." Zelda could not really think of any reason to stick around on Mount Samekh; they had a lot of work to do.

"Ricando, can you tell from up here in which direction we ought to head next?" Link, remembering that everyone in the group could tell as they approached the mountain that something was wrong, wondered how much greater Ricando's senses were. He clearly had some extraordinary abilities-surely, he would be able to detect the presence of dark magic if it was growing stronger in a nearby region.

"Hm…" Ricando approached the edge of the summit, looking far into the distance. First he scanned the vast Charcaian landscape sprawled out underneath him before closing his eyes and letting his staff guide him where his vision failed him.

After a few moments, the staff flashed with a brilliant light. After the flash of light, Ricando turned back to face his companions.

"It seems that there is a steadily growing concentration of dark magic directly to the south of Mount Samekh, in the region of Tolmtraccileon."

"Alright, so I guess we're all headed to Tolmtraccileon." Zukto repeated. He found it interesting that when he was younger, he had never seen any of these places before with his own eyes. It was like he was discovering his homeland for the first time. Suddenly it seemed like such a relief that he had been sent to Hyrule against his will… would he ever have left Immolate Throne if not for his mother?

"Can you tell us about Tolmtraccileon?" Zelda requested.

"Well, I actually did hear some rumors about this place as I grew up. Apparently, it is known for having wildly unpredictable weather. Normally, a region has fairly predictable seasonal weather, yeah? Not Tolmtraccileon. It could have every weather condition imaginable in the span of hours or days. Not many people really visit, as you might imagine. Makes business and leisure more difficult when you have no idea if it will rain or snow or something else."

"We will have to be cautious while traveling. The trails are probably in awful shape if they are constantly wet." Link pointed out.

"Did you say snow?" Zelda looked at Zukto in amazement.

"Y-yeah, what about it?"

"I… I have never seen snow before with my own eyes. I have read about it, of course, so I know what it is. I would like to see it for myself."

"O-oh, well, I am sure we will see some. I guess I never saw snow either, but that seems fairly obvious. I never really left the Desert, so of course I never saw any."

"The dark magic we dealt with here in Samekh was not nearly as strong as the magic I can sense in Tolmtraccileon. Krandses and his forces must have seized control of this region sometime ago for the magic to have built up like it has, though I am not entirely sure why they would have seized this region before Samekh. I highly suggest caution not only when traveling through this region, but also when we reach the nearest town. We cannot be sure that the people will be hospitable."

"Well, they weren't exactly hospitable in Samekh either. Wouldn't be that much of a surprise, I guess." Zukto sighed.

"... I wonder who from Darkness Orb will be waiting for us there." Zelda wondered out loud.


	27. The Road to Tolmtraccileon

"... Ruellian, mind telling me why the aura that I felt around Mount Samekh has now completely dissipated?" Kkladekk slowly approached his disciple, clearly not in a good mood. Ruellian did not know what he was talking about, which made her uneasy.

"When we left Mount Samekh, the entire area was still…" she faltered.

"And what of Zukto and his meddlesome group?"

"They… were there."

"They just happened to be there when you left? And you did not do anything about it?"

"I was! I had completely destroyed the woman's will to fight, but then…"

"But then **what**?" Kkladekk pressed.

" **He** appeared before us. Finally, after all this time, that bastard traitor Wrath showed his shameful face." Shaikh Ethe interjected as he approached Kkladekk. Ruellian was relieved to see him, especially now.

"Wrath? Now that is a name I have not heard in some time… so he did survive this whole time, then. What a surprise. But why would Wrath's appearance stop you from accomplishing what I ordered you to do?"

"Wrath fights beside your brother, Master. He especially seems to have taken a liking to the Hylian Princess, as he only appeared before us when trying to defend her."

"Wrath fights on their side…?! Damn you, my Brother! His meddling cost me my servant! This slight will not be ignored or so easily forgiven." Kkladekk fumed.

"As much as I wanted to destroy Wrath right then and there for what he did to us, I thought that Pride would be most unhappy with me for acting so selfishly." Shaikh Ethe pointed out.

"Yes… Pride would be greatly insulted if we dispatched of his oldest friend. However… we may have little choice if Wrath casts his lot in with my brother."

"At least allow Pride a chance to see Wrath again. As much as it pains me to admit it, Pride needs closure. After we grant him this little favor, however, Wrath is my number one target." Shaikh Ethe declared. He clenched his fist.

"For now, I shall go along with your plan. Do not screw this up: that is my order. If Wrath will not renounce his partnership with my brother and my brother's allies, that means he is our enemy and a threat that we cannot ignore."

"Understood, Master." Shaikh Ethe tossed a nut at the ground and disappeared in a bright flash of light. Before the light settled, Kkladekk turned away from Ruellian.

"We do not know where my brother and his friends are heading next… so in that case, we need to quickly discern their movements without their knowledge. If my brother knows we are tracking him, he would of course try anything he could to confuse us. There is only one person who I can trust to follow them undetected. Ruellian… send the Hunter out." Kkladekk grinned. Ruellian nodded, excusing herself.

"... But even so, how in Charcai's name did my brother and his obnoxious friends lift the veil of darkness we cast on Mount Samekh? It should not have been so easy to purify that mountain." Kkladekk was bemused, though he could not let Ruellian and the others realize that this particular matter stumped him. Not only did they manage to purify it, they also accomplished this extraordinary task much faster than he thought possible. Who among Zukto's group was the one who possessed such a potent ability?

 _It couldn't be Ricando… could it? No one else's magic is anywhere near strong enough to purify an entire mountain. That man just enjoys being a thorn in my side._

Ruellian, transforming herself into the Warden, navigated through the series of hallways and doors that lead from the basement of the BH, which were sealed off from access except by those who had a connection to Kkladekk, up to the main floor. Once there, she quietly exited the main building.

Disguised as the old man, Ruellian walked in the direction of Hyrule Castle Town. She crossed a small drawbridge and started down a small dirt path. The path lead her up to a small cliff that overlooked the main dirt pathway that lead up to Hyrule Castle. A person was sitting cross-legged on the grassy cliff.

"Tarre." Ruellian knew that the man had been anticipating her arrival long before she even approached the cliff. Saying his name was her way of saying that they needed to speak. Without saying anything, the man effortlessly stood up and turned to face his visitor.

"Does Master Kkladekk require my services once again?" He spoke in a matter-of-fact manner. Ruellian stared at the man who was covering his face with a mask: the mask was more of meant to hide his identity from people who he did not know, as Ruellian was quite familiar with what his face looked like. The mask looked like that of a hawk's face, complete with a protruding beak.

"Yes. Master wants you to track down his brother. You know, Zukto. I suppose you two have not met yet. But don't worry: your job is not to fight anyone. Master simply wishes to know where they are going and what they intend on doing. Be discreet. You will be paid when Master gets the information he wants." Ruellian explained.

"Zukto, huh… I think I can track down Master's brother. Where is he right now?"

"I last saw him on Mount Samekh. He is still in Charcai: of that much, we are certain."

"Charcai, eh? I accept my assignment. Want to walk back together?"

"No. I have my own business to attend to." Ruellian was bothered earlier by Kyoshiro's behavior, and suddenly found herself inspired to do something about it. There was something not _normal_ about their 'newest' companion. Kyoshiro had always been an outlier, even among Kkladekk's followers. Ruellian, desperate to know more about Kkladekk, was starting to think that Kyoshiro himself held answers to some of the questions she had. If Kkladekk was distracted while trying to follow his brother, Ruellian saw this as her chance to do some investigating.

"Suit yourself." Was all Tarre said before he whistled a tune. A hawk's cry echoed around the field before a large bird flew down from the sky and settled onto Tarre's shoulder.

"Come, Farona. We got a little job to do." Tarre scratched the bird underneath its beak as he walked back to the BH.

Ruellian waited for Tarre to disappear from sight before she made her move. First, she changed her form again from that of the old Warden to the same brown-haired woman who appeared before Zelda and her partners back at Mount Samekh.

 _It is better that no one knows what my objective is, no one except me and Kyoshiro. There is something strange going on that Kyoshiro is intimately connected to, even if he himself is not cognizant of it._

Ruellian could remember the day that she and Master Kkladekk found him bleeding out in the woods: Kkladekk used his magic to stop the bleeding, and insisted that they transport the unknown youth who was nearly on death's door to a facility in the city that could treat him. She had always found it odd that they just happened to find some kid in the woods that day… and what's more, Kkladekk was adamant that they take the boy in as a member of Darkness Orb after he healed.

As it turned out, his strength on the battlefield was hard to match. He had simply lacked proper training before. Ruellian could not help but wonder if finding Kyoshiro was no mere coincidence… did Master Kkladekk always know about the boy? But if he did, why or how?

The thing that made Ruellian most uncomfortable was how the boy changed after joining Darkness Orb. On the day that he was finally discharged, deemed fit to move about and work, he seemed so full of life. But that very same day… something came over the boy. His eyes almost always appeared glassed over to her: was he being drugged? Just what was Master Kkladekk planning with the boy? He was grown man now, and had worked with them for several years already, but after all of this time his expression was still largely the same. It was like he was never truly there.

 _First I need to see if I can get some hints from his dreams. Next, I need to figure out what his typical routine is. If he is being forced to take some kind of drug, I want to see it myself. If Kyoshiro is being controlled by something, what's to say that the rest of us are safe?_

Ruellian had given Tarre a big head start assuming that he would make haste to Charcai in order to fulfill the job given to him. She calmly made her way back to the BH, hoping that Kyoshiro would be there and that Tarre would be gone. The swordsman had not said much to anyone ever since returning from Mount Samekh. Was he mad at her, or did something else happen? She remembered that he was nowhere to be seen while she and Shaikh Ethe fought Zukto and the others.

Ruellian invited herself into Kyoshiro's room. Not surprisingly, he was asleep.

 _He sleeps an awful lot, doesn't he? I guess this makes my job easier._

Ruellian sat down next to the Hylian male, studying his face for a moment. He looked troubled about something.

 _Seems like a good time for me to dive into his dreams and memories._

Ruellian's body slumped back into the chair as a spirit-like version of herself disappeared into Kyoshiro's mind…

Ruellian was suddenly staring face-to-face with Master Kkladekk.

"Kyoshiro, you are one of us now. As proof, I want you to have this…" Kkadekk pulled a small object from one of the pockets in his jacket: the small object was a ring.

The vision cut out. Suddenly, Ruellian was standing in Kyoshiro's room by herself. She was looking down at the small ring which was sitting on a table.

"I feel like shit, and I cannot remember what I've been doing for the last… who knows how long. Why are my memories all fucked up…?" Kyoshiro's voice came from Ruellian's mouth.

This vision too also faded. Ruellian found herself in Kyoshiro's room, this time with the ring on her right hand as always. A strange voice called out to her.

 _Take off the ring. Take off the ring…_

Ruellian's vision returned to her as she sat up in the chair in Kyoshiro's room. Her heart was racing. With a start, she remembered that Kkladekk had taken a ring off of Kyoshiro's hand and replaced it with a different ring after they lured him into that trap by himself back in Charcai. Her mouth felt dry.

"The ring…! Kkladekk controls his mind with that ring…!" Ruellian quickly scanned the room, trying to discern its location: it was still on Kyoshiro's hand.

"But… why… why is Kyoshiro's mind being manipulated…?" Ruellian muttered, not sure if she would like the answer no matter what it happened to be.

"There is something going on here. If Kyoshiro was helping Kkladekk's brother, it would stand to reason that Master would want him dead. I can only assume that Kyoshiro is needed for something. After all, Master just proclaimed that we need to take Wrath out for joining forces with his brother. This boy was fighting alongside his brother before we knew about Wrath, so why is he getting special treatment?

I also have to wonder: why did Kyoshiro join forces with Zukto in the first place? He has been working diligently for Master Kkladekk ever since we saved him. Did Kyoshiro simply not know that Zukto opposes Master Kkladekk? Or did Master Kkladekk order Kyoshiro to journey with his brother? If Kyoshiro had been sending intel to our Master this entire time, that would make sense but… but… oh dear gods." Kkladekk's own words quickly jumped out at her from the back of her mind, interrupting her other thoughts:

"The only reason Kyoshiro ended up with Zukto was because of an accident: that day, when Kyoshiro and Zukto met, Kyoshiro had left his ring in his room. Over time, he seems to have been able to overcome the effects of my magic."

Ruellian covered her mouth with her left hand. Kkladekk himself admitted in front of her and Ganondorf that he was using magic on Kyoshiro, though at the time he never actually specified what kind of magic it was. Now that Ruellian had a little more context thanks to Kyoshiro's memories, it seemed clear to her: Kkladekk manipulated Kyoshiro since day one. He found the young man, nearly dead, in the forest. They stabilized his condition, found a doctor who could help Kyoshiro recover from his injuries, and then waited for Kyoshiro to get better. As soon as he left the hospital, Kkladekk approached Kyoshiro privately and gave him the ring. Ruellian still was not entirely sure what the details of the ring were, but the ring seemed to have the power to control Kyoshiro's mind to the point that he would fight against the people who he had just days ago been cooperating with.

What's more, Ruellian remembered one of Kyoshiro's memories: he privately expressed concern about his messed up memories. The swordsman also mentioned shortly after Kkladekk put the ring on his hand that he was struggling to remember what he was doing prior to returning to the BH. Could it be that Kyoshiro was living a double life ever since he recovered from his injury? It seemed that while he wore the ring, he was Kkladekk's perfect guard dog. As soon as the ring came off, though, he could not remember anything about serving Kkladekk. Why would Kkladekk want Kyoshiro to forget about him? It just did not make sense to Ruellian.

 _I have to see this for myself._

Ruellian, realizing more every time she used them how useful they were, copied Zelda's powers. She felt the shadows in the room and manipulated one to quickly slip the ring off of Kyoshiro's finger. The shadowy hand dropped the ring in Ruellian's open hand and disappeared. She quietly pocketed the ring.

 _I am curious to know if he will recognize me once he wakes up._

She had a feeling that Kyoshiro would be put off to wake up and see that someone else was hanging out in his room, but she absolutely had to speak to him before he ran into anyone else-especially Master Kkladekk.

The room was quiet, save for the sound of Kyoshiro's breathing, so Ruellian quietly considered what she was going to say to her companion when he finally woke up. She wanted to earn his trust so they could investigate the matter of his brainwashing together; she had a feeling this issue was a closely-guarded secret, and thus she would need all the help she could get.

Kyoshiro could hear snarling all around him. His vision focused, revealing the forms of several big Wolfos. Kyoshiro panicked. One of them lunged at him, and he could feel sharp teeth puncturing his flesh…

Kyoshiro's eyes flew open in a panic. He gasped loudly, scrambling to sit up. His heart was thudding in his chest and he could tell that he was perspiring.

"Shit, again with that damn dream…" The swordsman sighed, looking exhausted. It took him a minute, but he finally realized that Ruellian was sitting in the room with him.

"Wh-who in the hell are you?! And why are you in my room?!" Kyoshiro stammered.

"Kyoshiro, there is no need to be concerned. We are comrades in arms, you and I." Ruellian calmly explained. She watched Kyoshiro's face to gauge his reaction: she had a feeling, based on the suspicious expression he was giving her, that he indeed could not remember who she was. So it was not just memories of Master Kkladekk that were gone: did Kyoshiro forget about everyone who ever worked with him at the BH?

"Comrades? What're you talking about? I've always been…"

"Do you remember the accident you got into five years ago?" Ruellian asked.

"Accident…" The images from his nightmare flashed through his mind.

"How do you know about that?"

"Someone rescued you after those Wolfos attacked you: I was with the man who saved your life."

"You were there…? I-I'm sorry. My head has been very messed up lately: I can barely remember what I did yesterday. Wait, what did I do yesterday anyway? It's like my memories don't even exist. I-I'm sorry. I know, that probably sounds ridiculous…" Kyoshiro muttered, looking at nothing in particular. He looked exhausted.

"Kyoshiro, you don't have to worry. I understand what you are talking about. Truth be told, someone here at the BH is controlling you. They regularly tamper with your memories because they see you as a threat. I am here because I want to get to the bottom of this matter."

"Wh-what?! S-someone is… controlling me? How?" Kyoshiro looked like he was willing to listen, at least.

"Is… is this familiar to you?" Ruellian gently retrieved the ring from a pocket and extended it in front of her herself. Kyoshiro critically looked at the small piece of jewelry.

"Something does feel familiar about this ring: I cannot deny that. But I can't tell you why. Do you know what this is?"

"Someone gave you this ring five years ago, and ever since then has been manipulating you."

"This can't be happening… five whole years…?!" Kyoshiro was clearly not prepared for this revelation.

"I know, this is probably really overwhelming. But you're safe now. As long as you do not wear this ring, the magic that was influencing you will dissipate over time. For the time being, I will keep it with me."

"Are you sure about that?" Kyoshiro looked concerned.

"Yes, absolutely. I have been watching you for a while, and did some investigating into this matter on my own. But now… I was wondering if you would like to know the truth for yourself. If you join me, we can figure out who is controlling you and for what purpose."

"Okay, but tell me why you care. After all, what happens to me doesn't affect you at all."

"You are not entirely correct, actually. I am afraid that we're next." Ruellian looked uneasy. Kyoshiro's expression softened. He didn't know who the 'we' comment was referring to, but this whole situation seemed quite serious. After all, why would anyone want to control him anyway?

"O-okay. I will join you. What's your name?" Kyoshiro was clearly nervous: what if they were discovered?

"My name is… Zelda." Ruellian was mostly lying to test Kyoshiro: would he recognize the name of the woman who he used to fight beside?

"Zelda…?" Kyoshiro's face briefly looked like the name was familiar to him. But it settled into one of confusion. The name was just at the edge of his mind, waiting to be remembered, but he could not recall why he felt like it was so familiar…

"Okay, Zelda. Well, um, what should we do? You took the ring off, I guess, and that is going to stop the magic from affecting me, but surely whoever is controlling me will notice that the ring is gone! What then?"

"Yes, your point is a good one. However, I think I have that covered." Ruellian held up the real ring and concentrated on it. She opened up her right hand, the hand not holding the ring, and suddenly a second ring appeared in her palm!

"Okay, Kyoshiro, wear this ring. It is, of course, a fake. But it looks exactly like the ring I am carrying with me. As long as the person who is controlling you never actually touches your fake one, they will never understand that it is a fake. Based on appearances alone, this duplicate ring is a perfect match. Make sure to always wear it, okay? It will help us maintain our ruse. It will look like your mind is still being subjected to the evil magic contained within the ring I have, but in actuality your mind will slowly be healing from the dark influences that have suppressed your mind for so long."

Kyoshiro took the fake ring, marveling at this person. She was willing to defy whoever was controlling him? What was she getting out of this? He was not used to people helping him. He could not help but wonder if this entire thing was a trap. Since he had little information to go off of, and he certainly had no allies whom he could rely on, he decided to play along for the time being. If this woman ever did anything to cross him, he would simply have to fight her. But that thought seemed so foreign to him. Why did he immediately assume that he would have to fight this person?

"Now, do not call me Zelda when we are at the BH. My identity is a closely guarded secret, you see. Call me Sheik." Suddenly, Ruellian's body began to glow with a strange light. When the light died down, Ruellian now looked like a smaller, and female, version of Shaikh Ethe. She had red eyes, pointed ears, long, blonde hair, and muscular frame.

"Sheik… you know, you look…" Kyoshiro looked like he was trying to remember something.

"Familiar? Don't worry about it. Let's go. Remember, call me Sheik."

"Go? Where are we going?" Kyoshiro was not expecting to be leaving so soon with this stranger, much less without realizing where it was that she wanted to take him.

"We should put some distance between ourselves and Hyrule Castle Town. I believe the person who is controlling you spends most of their time here."

"So where to?"

"... We are going to Charcai." Ruellian stated.

"Charcai? What the hell? Did you just make up that place?" Kyoshiro looked at her incredulously.

"No, Kyoshiro, I did not. Follow me, and you will discover for yourself that it is very real. I shall wait for you outside: get ready." Ruellian left Kyoshiro with that request, knowing that he would be too curious to ignore her.

Kyoshiro scrambled out of bed, his heart racing. He still was not entirely sure if he understood what was going on, but things were starting to feel tense. Where did this mysterious woman come from? Why was he being manipulated? Would his memories ever come back?

He quickly threw on his armor. As he was adjusting the belt that kept his sheathe attached to his body, he swore he heard a woman's voice calling out to him.

 _Take My gauntlets._

Kyoshiro hurriedly looked around the room, confused because the voice sounded so close to him. But he was alone, right?

 _Take My gauntlets._

"Gauntlets…? What in the hell? I've never…" Kyoshiro realized with a start that a pair of gauntlets was indeed resting on his shelf.

"When did these get here…?" Kyoshiro tentatively reached out and touched them, feeling nervous for some reason.

 _Take them with you._

"F-fine, fine!" He stammered, quickly grabbing them.

"Why do I even need these? I fight with a sword." Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow at the armor, then realized that he was talking to himself.

"Shit, just what I need. People will really think I'm crazy, now." Kyoshiro rolled his eyes, looking unamused.

He was ready to go, so he hurried to meet with Sheik.

"Hey, I'm here." Kyoshiro hurriedly declared when he found his strange new companion waiting in the lobby of the BH.

"I knew you'd come. Okay, follow me." Ruellian led both of them underneath the BH, to the complex of secret tunnels that members of Darkness Orb used to travel easily between Hyrule and Charcai.

"Ordinary people do not know about this series of passageways, and even if they did they would be unable to access them. Only a select few have the ability to freely travel through here…" Ruellian explained.

"So you are one of the 'few?'"

"You are as well, you know. Actually, your ring is quite handy. As long as we have this thing with us, we have access to a lot of secrets."

"Why's that?"

"The ring is embedded with a unique kind of magic. The magic within the ring acts as a signature of sorts. If we approach restricted areas, those restricted areas will open themselves to us because they can sense the magic hidden within this thing. It was all set up by the very same person who has been controlling you."

"Are you being controlled by a ring too? How can you access these secrets if you didn't have my ring before?"

"I… I actually do not know the answer to your question. I have been able to freely move about this place for as long as I can remember… I have no memories besides those of my time working here. But all of this is connected to your situation as well, and my motivation to investigate this matter was strengthened once I better understood your predicament." Ruellian admitted.

"Y-your memories are messed up too?" Kyoshiro was definitely interested to know more.

"... What was your childhood like?" Ruellian quietly asked.

"M-my childhood…? I… well…" Kyoshiro hesitated.

"Did you forget about that, as well?"

"I… I think I remember a lot of kids… and adults who always sneered at us… yelled at us… acted like we were a burden… and some kids left… but I was always there, alone…" Kyoshiro looked troubled about something.

"I have absolutely no memories of a childhood. People talk about their parents, their siblings, their grandparents, but I have no such recollections. I only remember one thing… my Master."

"I mean, I know what it's like to not know about your family. But at least you actually had someone there with you… I had no one." Kyoshiro looked away from her.

"They say that ignorance is bliss. I used to think that everything would be okay because I had my Master. But now… now I am starting to wonder. What if my Master only keeps me around as long as I am useful? What if he is planning to control my mind like he does yours?"

"So you know who did this to me?!"

"Yes, I believe I know who is responsible: his name is Kkladekk." Ruellian whispered.

"Kkladekk… Kkladekk…" Kyoshiro really looked like something was striking a chord, but he could not capture the whole memory.

"Okay, we're here." Ruellian interrupted his thoughts as she stopped before a large dais.

"Where are we exactly?" Kyoshiro had not been focused on where they were walking, since he had been caught up in their conversation.

"Stand with me on this dais. This will take us to Charcai." Ruellian explained as she stepped onto the dais. Kyoshiro looked down at it before he stepped onto it: the same symbol that was depicted on his tabard appeared on the dais. Kyoshiro stepped up and stood next to Sheik: the dais glowed, and the two members of Darkness Orb were magically carried away from the platform.

"Farona, I need you to find a man. You should be able to quickly track him down because his scent will remind you of Master Kkladekk's. They are brothers. Can you find the one named Zukto?" The man asked of his avian partner. The hawk squawked in acknowledgement before taking off for the skies.

"Now to wait… the hunter always gives chase, but the smartest hunters preserve their energy for the actual kill. No need to waste my resources now when I have no idea where my prey even is. This part is kind of boring, but I look forward to when Farona returns and can point me in the direction of our target." Tarre went to work preparing a campfire, and intended to go hunting for meat in short order. It made sense to make sure that he was sufficiently prepared for a tough journey now while he still had so much time to himself. He knew Charcai's landscape fairly well already though, as this was not the first time Kkladekk had requested his tracking skills…

"I have a question, Ricando." Zelda spoke up as the travelers were in route to the region with the closest shrine, Tolmtraccileon. Ricando shifted his attention to the older Hylian princess.

"Samekh was named after a deity, so Tolmtraccileon must also be named after a deity. Can you tell us what Lord Tolmtraccileon is like?"

"I suppose it would not hurt to tell you about Charcai's gods, especially because you will need their assistance to fight against Krandses' forces. I suppose the first point I should reveal to you is that Lord Tolmtraccileon is a massive dragon."

"A dr-dragon?! The things we fought in Firean?" Zukto stammered, remembering the massive dragon that was guarding the first relic they searched for.

"You've fought a dragon, Zukto? That is quite impressive." Ricando remarked.

"Well, if I had to fight it myself it wouldn't have been very impressive. Really, I couldn't have done anything without Zelda." Zukto looked sheepish.

"Relying on others for help is nothing to be ashamed of." Ricando pointed out.

"Exactly." Zelda looked over at Zukto with a smug grin.

"I can remind you of the same thing too, you know." Zukto retaliated, grinning too. Zelda groaned slightly, thinking to herself that she should have seen that coming.

"As for what Lord Tolma is like-" Ricando started.

"Wait, did you just say 'Tolma?'" Zukto echoed, looking confused.

"Well, I am allowed to call him Lord Tolma because we have known each other for a while. I would advise you to refer to him by his whole name though, since you have not yet become acquainted. At any rate, Lord Tolma is not like Lord Samekh. Lord Tolma is aloof, especially around mortals. He has an important job, and views most mortals as irrelevant. But he has been known to warm up to people who prove themselves to him."

"Wait a second-no mortals know he exists. How could they prove themselves to him if they don't even know about him…?" Zukto looked suspicious.

Ricando realized that he may have revealed entirely too much information. Zelda smirked, remembering the conversation that he had earlier privately with Goddess Hylia, but she kept quiet.

"Yes, you are correct about mortals not knowing about him. He actually has had to keep himself hidden from the locals for many years, so-"

"So you've known this God for how long, exactly?" Zukto pressed. Zelda grinned even more, feeling proud of Zukto for his insight.

"I-I've known him since I was a young man." Ricando tried to maintain a calm facade.

"You know, I accepted that you were a friend of my parents'. But there's something else going on here: tell me I'm wrong. You seem to know damn near everything already." Zukto almost sounded accusatory. Zelda was quite intrigued to see how the conversation would progress, but she still kept silent.

"You know, I have my own suspicions about you Ricando… that book… you wrote it, didn't you?" Link suddenly interjected. Ricando was at a complete loss of words.

"Heh, I suppose I was a fool to think I could hide the truth forever. Yes, Link, you are correct: I am the author of _The Origin of Darkness_. I wrote that book centuries ago to warn future generations of the greatest evil to ever plague our lands."

"Centuries ago?!" Zukto's mouth hung open slightly.

"So naturally that makes you the mortal mentioned in the book… you are the mortal who was possessed by Krandses, the mortal who fought Charcai, and the mortal who Charcai granted eternal life to." Zelda observed.

"Yes, I suppose I cannot hide that secret anymore either." Ricando sighed.

"I already trusted you, honestly. But I feel like now that we've gotten that out in the open there is really no reason to distrust you except for the fact that you were trying to hide all of that from us." Link remarked.

"It makes me feel better knowing that we're traveling with someone who knew Lord Charcai personally." Zukto nodded, looking excited.

"So the secret is finally out." Zelda smirked.

"You knew?!" Zukto was stunned.

"Remember that I knew he could speak Hylian before any of you realized it? When Hylia and he talked privately, I had some suspicions." She shrugged.

"It makes sense, given that Ricando already knew about me. After all, I still do not remember anything about my life before my arrival in Hyrule. Ricando stands to gain nothing by fabricating a story about me being a creation of Krandses." Wrath added, suddenly appearing from Zelda's shadow.

Zelda thought that it was a safe time to bow out of the conversation to test something she was wondering about.

 _Azera? Azera, can you hear me?_ Zelda tried to project her thoughts to her sister, wondering if Azera's powers would allow her to do the same.

"Oh!" Azera suddenly exclaimed, surprised to hear someone's voice in her head. Everyone in the group looked over at her in surprise but she blushed and hurriedly muttered at them to ignore her.

 _Shh! I do not want anyone to know we are doing this. Can you project something in response to me?_

 _Sorry! I did not expect to hear you so suddenly like that._

 _So you can do it, too. That is rather fortunate for us. Look, there might be times when I want to discuss sensitive matters in private. But since we are traveling in such a large group, having time to ourselves is a luxury that we will almost never be allowed. However, only you, Wrath, Nari, and I can project our thoughts to others. Therefore, this is the best way to have a discussion._

 _I see. But what could be so sensitive that we must discuss it in private like this?_

 _Well, about what we were talking about before… I would ask you to not repeat anything I said to anyone. Particularly if it involves a certain member of our group. You see, I may have said to you that I care about him, but… I am unsure of what I want to do. And I have not yet said anything to him directly. I would rather keep this matter between us for the time being. You understand, right? It will be our secret._

 _It is okay, I would rather that the two of you talk about it. You know your own thoughts better than I do. I would feel bad if I said something wrong in an effort to be helpful. And he would rather hear it from you directly, anyway._

 _B-be that as it may, do not hesitate to contact me in this way should anything come up._

 _Oh, yes, Sister, about this ability. I have never done something like this before, so I do not know much about it. From how far away can we project our thoughts to one another?_

 _That… that is actually a really good question. I have never projected my thoughts to anyone who I could not already see in my proximity._

 _Oh! This could be fun! Let us make a game of it!_

 _A-a game?_

 _Let's really test the limits of our abilities. We should get a better feel for what we can and can't do._

 _So you want to test how effective our thought projection might be even at long distances? But that would require us to not be together. Everyone would get suspicious if one of us suddenly disappeared from the group._

 _I guess you have a point there. Well, the next time we find a town or something we should split up and test it out._

 _I must admit that I am interested in seeing for myself what the limits of our thought projection might be._

 _Okay, then I have another question. So obviously you and I can project our thoughts to one another because we both have manifested the ability to do so. But what about others who may not have it? For example, Zukto. If I project my thoughts to him, he would surely be able to hear me. But he cannot do it in return, correct?_

 _Your observation is partially true. Normally, Zukto cannot project his thoughts. At least, I never noticed that he had that ability. However, when you and I initiate a mental link with someone in order to project our thoughts to them we temporarily establish a connection across which that other person can also project their thoughts to us. They temporarily borrow our power. As soon as we break the connection, they can no longer do it. In that way, you can still have a brief conversation even with someone who ordinarily does not possess such a skill._

 _Oh, okay, that makes sense. It seems pretty useful._

"Oh, hey, I just noticed that Kaepora Gaebora is not with us." Azera ended her conversation with her sister, thinking that it would draw their friends' attention if the two princesses were quiet for too long.

"Yes, where did your friend go?" Link asked.

Kaepora Gaebora, soaring through the skies, intently was looking for something. He could sense that something was headed straight for them, but it was not something that his human companions would have noticed. He thought it wise to at the very least discern the identity of whatever it was that was following them. From what he could tell, the creature was flying like he was.

 _This creature does not seem like it is an ordinary bird to me, which troubles me._

 _Kae...pora… Kaepora… can you… hear me?!_ A fragmented voice suddenly interrupted the Sage's thoughts.

 _Azera? Azera, is that you my dear?_

 _Oh! So… you can hear me after all!_ The voice seemed to be getting a bit stronger.

 _Are you practicing your powers? Quite prudent of you. Is everything okay?_

 _I was going to ask you that! You disappeared so suddenly._

 _I apologize for my disappearance. We are being followed by something or someone, and I wanted to cut them off before they could find our group._

 _Oh! We are being followed? That is quite troublesome. Are you sure you will be okay on your own? Maybe you should have alerted us before taking off._

 _My dear, I am a Sage: I believe that I can defend myself. I would not worry about me, but I must admit that your concern for me is sweet. I suppose that is only natural since we are family._

 _Uncle, asking me to not worry about you is like asking the sun to stop rising._

That response elicited a hearty chuckle from the owl.

 _You are a sweet girl, dearest Azera. If you want, please alert your sister about our strange visitor. When I discern what the identity of our pursuer is, I will establish contact with you again. Feel free to continue on your current path for the time being._

"E-everyone! I have something to say!" Azera suddenly declared. The group's attention quickly focused on the younger Hylian princess.

"I just spoke to Kaepora Gaebora, and he says that something is following us!" Azera relayed the message earnestly.

Everyone then turned to Zukto, looking worried.

"Something is following us? Not someone?" Zukto questioned.

"Er, sorry, Kaepora does not yet know what or who exactly is following us. When he discovers the thing's identity, he was going to tell me."

"By the way, how are you even talking to him anyway? He's nowhere to be seen." Link pointed out.

"My sister and I have telepathic powers. We can project our thoughts to others."

"Even when you cannot see the target?!" Link was amazed.

"Evidently. I just tried it for the first time, and both Kaepora and I were able to understand each other."

"Fascinating."

"Okay, Ricando… what do you think about this? If something is following us, we need to know why. After all, what if they are hoping that we will inadvertently lead them somewhere?" Zukto questioned.

"That is certainly a valid concern… I would normally say we should wait until we can discern what the identity of our pursuer is; however, if they are already following us then they likely will be able to tell when we stop moving. If we know about their presence, that already gives us an advantage. Therefore, I propose that we continue moving as if we are none the wiser. We need our pursuer to drop their guard and reveal themselves, so that our friend Kaepora can then relay the information to us. So we must wait to hear from Kaepora Gaebora before deciding on anything further."

The group agreed with Ricando's suggestion, but now the atmosphere was tense.

"By the way, Azera, all we know about your owl friend is that he can speak our language. Why did he decide by himself to track down our pursuer? Can he defend himself?" Zelda inquired.

"I have not really seen him do anything myself, but I have not known him for much longer than you have anyway. He claims to have some kind of sacred power. I guess all we can do is wait and see."

"An owl with sacred power…?"

"It is not much more strange than having a god in the form of a wolf and a god in the form of a dragon." Ricando pointed out.

"I suppose. Hyrule is a land full of mysterious beings, just like Charcai is."

 _I am getting close to our mysterious pursuer: I can feel it. They have not changed course, so either they do not perceive me as a threat or they simply do not know that I am here. In either case… I should descend for now. They seem to be focused ahead still, so I can possibly catch them off guard._

Kaepora Gaebora swiftly dove out of the sky, skirting much closer to the surface as he waited for his prey to come into view.

Finally, a massive hawk sped ahead.

 _Is that it?!_ Kaepora quickly followed it, trying to position himself directly below the bird of prey.

The other bird finally took notice of the giant owl, but only after Kaepora Gaebora fired a ray of light up at it. The bird tried to maneuver out of the way, but it reacted too slowly: the beam of light clipped one of its wings. The hawk abruptly fell out of the sky, landing on top of Kaepora Gaebora. He was intending to capture the bird from the beginning, so he was pleased with how easily he crippled it.

The hawk screeched just before losing consciousness.

The hawk's cry was noticed miles away.

"... Farona is in trouble." Tarre, without a moment to spare, gathered his gear and sharply whistled. A whinny pierced the empty field as a horse galloped straight up to the man.

"Quickly, Ordona. We have to find Farona. Yah!" Tarre effortlessly hoisted himself atop his steed and urged the animal to make haste. The horse, understanding the urgency in Tarre's voice, responded with a similar level of concern as its master.

 _What the hell happened? Farona has never been hurt during a hunt before. How did that punk Zukto know she was coming? No ordinary animal could have hurt Farona, of that I am sure. I guess I underestimated Zukto… I thought for sure that this would be an easy job. Alright, kid… you got my attention now. But you won't like it, mark my words._

 _Azera, Azera, can you hear me?_

 _Yes! I am here._

 _Azera, I found out what was following us: a strange hawk._

 _A hawk? You got us worked up about a hawk?_

 _You misunderstand, dear Azera. This hawk cannot be an ordinary hawk, the same way that I am no ordinary owl._

 _Point taken. So what now?_

 _I am bringing the bird with me. Continue on your path: I will surely catch up before nightfall._

 _You are bringing it with you?! But it wanted to find us from the beginning! You are helping it out!_

 _I should be able to keep it bound with my powers. It will not be able to hurt us or run away. We need to figure out why it was following us, right?_

 _I suppose, but…_

 _Keep your friends close, dear Azera, but keeping your enemies closer is sometimes a prudent strategy. I believe the hawk was sent to us by someone else. We need to draw them out._

 _Yes, I understand. I will tell everyone else you are coming._

"Everyone, Kaepora caught our pursuer! He is coming back now!" Azera exclaimed. She figured that her uncle would better be able to explain everything to the other members of the group, so she did not mention to them that their pursuer was a hawk and that Kaepora was bringing it back with him. They were going to be surprised no matter what, and she did not want them to be on edge until the owl's return.

The travelers continued moving for a while yet, but Ricando abruptly stopped them; it was not yet nightfall.

"Everything alright, Ricando?" Zelda inquired.

"Everything is fine, however I highly advise that we set up camp here for the evening. We are not yet in Tolmtraccileon, and it would be prudent that we not proceed any further this evening."

"Why is that?"

"Remember how I mentioned that the weather is quite erratic? If we cross the 'border' into Tolmtraccileon, there is no telling what we might encounter. It is not yet night, I know, but it won't be long before it gets darker. I think it wise that we stay here for the night, where it is relatively safe. We are far enough away from the border between the two regions that we should not have to endure the ill effects of the strange weather patterns."

"Understood. Alright everyone, we are resting for the night." Zelda declared.

Everyone split up, making various preparations for their camp site. Link started a fire while Zukto gathered sticks and wood to feed it. Zelda and Azera started to gather wild plants and berries, which seemed to be plentiful in the area. Ricando sat back, seemingly observing everyone else. He was instead on guard, because he could feel the owl and his prisoner approaching.

 _This feeling… I remember this from somewhere. What exactly did that talking owl find out there?_

The heroes were all situated around the crackling fire, sharing light-hearted banter, when Kaepora Gaebora finally touched down near them.

"Hoo! I have returned." He declared. Two sigils were glowing on his body, one on each wing. He gently folded his wings back into his body, and his passenger slid to the ground. It shook its head briefly, but slowly stood up. Everyone looked at the giant hawk in amazement.

" _This_ is what was following us?" Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"I believe that someone sent the hawk after us. In order to draw them out, I decided to bring her along with us."

"But it is a hawk. Can't it just fly away?" Link also looked bemused.

"Not right now, she cannot. I sealed her wings to her body: she cannot fly. She also cannot walk too far from me: if she were to try to escape on foot, the sigil on her head would activate and paralyze her until I moved back within her proximity. Hoo, hoo. She is our guest for the time being."

The hawk first looked at Zukto, registering that he was who she was looking for; she recognized his scent as very similar to Kkladekk's. She clicked her beak impatiently, wishing she could return to her Master. But to her surprise, another scent caught her attention. She carefully surveyed the group of people she was now forced to stay with, and realized that she recognized the other male human as well. He looked a bit different from the last time she saw him, but she was certain that they used to live together.

Farona walked right up to Link and nuzzled him. Everyone exchanged looks, wondering why the bird was not acting more afraid of being caught by strangers.

"You're such a calm girl. Hey, do we have some meat? She will behave more if I offer her a treat." Link explained.

"I believe I can easily find some. It is approaching nighttime, and my vision is quite strong in low light, hoo." With that, Kaepora Gaebora launched himself into the air with a strong beat of his great wings.

"Is it okay if I touch you?" Link asked the hawk. Farona bobbed her head impatiently, wondering why Link was being so cautious. Did he forget about her?

Link gently stroked the hawk's head, wondering about the hawk's behavior. Hawks could be easily spooked, especially when forced into new environments with new people. This hawk was clearly trained, since being surrounded by people did not seem to faze her.

"Whoever trained you did a really good job. I guess we need to be careful… they are probably looking for you right now." When Link said that, Farona seemed excited.

"You seem to understand me pretty well. You know I am talking about your Master, yeah?"

While everyone else was distracted by the hawk, Ricando quietly slipped away from the group.

 _Link brings up a good point: this creature's Master is probably looking for us right now. And I think I know who it is… this will surely result in a fight: he will not take kindly to us taking this bird hostage. I would rather avoid a fight right now… it would be prudent to throw up an obstacle to keep him off of our tail. At least for now._

Ricando walked a ways off from the group, back in the direction they had come from. When he thought he put enough distance between himself and Zukto's group, he firmly pressed the pole of his staff into the ground. The orb that was mounted at the head of the staff briefly glowed, and a rush of magical energy surged from the orb down into the ground. Suddenly, the land in front of Ricando developed a fissure: the fissure grew deeper, separating the earth. The two masses of earth slowly split further away from each other until a massive canyon developed right before Ricando's eyes.

 _Hopefully this will be enough to stall him: we must cross the 'border' into Tolmtraccileon before he catches up with us. The erratic weather will greatly hinder him… we will need all the help we can get to fight the Hunter off, so I am anxious to finish this leg of our trip._

Just as Ricando was returning to the group, so was Kaepora Gaebora. The owl dropped a vole down in front of Link.

"Here you are. You can offer this to the hawk. I think I will keep watch in one of the trees for now; if you need me, have Azera get my attention."

"Thank you, Kaepora. If we feed her, she should understand that we are not going to attack her."

Link calmly offered the animal to the hawk as Kaepora excused himself from the group. Farona eagerly snatched the vole from him so she could eat it.

"Well, Link, I suppose we ought to leave the bird in your care for now since it seems quite comfortable with you." Zelda suggested.

"I am fine with that. My grandfather and I raised hawks and falcons together when I was younger, so I know how to handle her. You're a good girl." Link added, directing his comment to Farona. Farona bobbed her head a bit as if to say 'of course I am.'

The travelers slowly gravitated away from one another as it got later, trying to get comfortable for the night. Link sat by the fire still to tend to it as well as keep their guest in good spirits.

"You know, you seem kind of familiar…" Link muttered mostly to himself as he absent-mindedly stroked the bird.

All of a sudden, a melodic and sharp whistling cut through the silence of the evening. Anyone who was not already asleep was startled by the noise.

"Wh-what in Din's name was that?!" Zelda stammered.

"... That was a hunter's summoning whistle. This hawk is trained to respond to the whistle: look at her." Link nodded over at the hawk, who seemed to be pacing restlessly. She screeched in response to the whistle.

"... Whoever is looking for her knows we are here, now. I suppose we have no choice but to expect company." Link wondered if they should prepare themselves for a confrontation. They did take the bird hostage, after all.

… _I can't be imagining it: I recognize that whistle._ Link frowned slightly, thinking to himself. He looked back at the hawk, who clicked her beak at him.

"... Wait a second…" Link's eyes opened wide when he realized whose bird he was taking care of: this hawk was Farona, the cherished hunting partner of his grandfather Tarre!

 _N-no way…! This is grandfather's hawk! Farona was sent to look for us?! That means that grandpa is out there right now, trying to find Farona and us._ Link had not been expecting such a reunion. At first, he was excited: he was finally going to see his grandfather. But another thought quickly squashed his excitement: if Tarre and Farona had been following them, was it on orders from Darkness Orb? Link felt his mouth go dry: was his grandfather working for the enemy? No one in Charcai would be following them, except by order of Kkladekk. Link was willing to admit that things did not look good for them as much as he would hope otherwise.

 _I can't let them realize that I know who sent this bird after us. If they realize that I know this bird, they might accuse me of drawing them into a trap. And I certainly had no such intention… ugh, why did it have to come to this?! What am I supposed to say to grandfather when I finally see him…?_

Zelda always had a hard time sleeping, and hearing the sharp hawk call made her even more nervous than normal. It did not sound that far away, which further did not help the Princess calm down.

 _I cannot sleep: what if we get ambushed while we are resting? No one is attacking us tonight: I will make damn sure of that._

 _Sister! Are you tired?_ Azera projected her thoughts to her sister. Zelda sighed.

 _I am tired, yes, but we cannot afford to rest right now. We are in enemy territory, and someone is specifically looking for us. We need to surprise this person before they surprise us._

 _Can I help?_

 _Yes, I would appreciate the help. Follow me: we need to try to draw our pursuer away from everyone else. If everyone else can get a chance to rest while we distract our visitor, then I will consider our diversion a success._

The two Princesses quietly got up and headed back in the direction they had come from, knowing that whoever was following them was not coming from the direction of Tolmtraccileon.

 _That screech was definitely Farona: so I was correct, she did get captured. But it's odd, when she answered my call it sounded like she was unable to fly to me. Did they damage her wings?! That punk Zukto really is going to get what's coming to him for hurting my partner._ Tarre urged his horse onward, mad at himself for taking so long to locate Farona.

All of a sudden, he had to sharply pull at Ordona's reins to get his horse to slow down. Ordona was surprised by Tarre's show of force: she grunted in disapproval and sharply veered off to the side of the path. As she slowed her pace, Tarre narrowed his eyes at the path ahead of them: something seemed very wrong to him. He gently encouraged Ordona to advance forward. As she proceeded, Tarre realized with a start that the trail was interrupted by a massive canyon!

 _Wh-what in Farore's name is going on here?! This canyon did not used to be here: I know this area well. Is this the work of Zukto and his friends?! By the Gods, they are more dangerous than I gave them credit for. Hm… this sure makes things interesting. This canyon is much too wide for me to jump across with Ordona… so now what?_

Tarre dismounted from Ordona and slowly walked along side the edge of the newly-formed canyon, trying to jog his mind for ideas. Unfortunately, it was looking like he would have to put his rescue mission on hold since he had no way to cross over the canyon. The older Hylian cursed under his breath.

"I need help. Maybe Volga could help me: surely he could fly me across with one of his dragons. But I am going to waste so much time going all the way back to Master Kkladekk… I guess at least one good thing came of this: I can confidently say that Zukto and his annoying friends are headed for Tolmtraccileon. Master Kkladekk will want this information right away. When I relay the information, perhaps he can help me track my friend down. I am sorry, Farona… but I have no choice but to leave you behind for now." He sighed deeply, and mounted his horse again. He had been pushing his horse for the last several hours, not realizing that he would be forced to return back the way he came, so he had to resign himself to letting Ordona travel at a much slower pace. Zukto and his friends were going to get so much further ahead now… Tarre swore again.

As his horse turned her back against the canyon, preparing to leave, Tarre thought he heard rustling up in a tree. At first he wrote it off as a stray breeze, but he realized with a start that only one tree's leaves had been blown about. The breeze would have affected more than one tree, so what exactly caused it?

Without sparing a second thought, Tarre nocked an arrow and fired it straight up into the tree. He critically watched the arrow fly straight at the tree… but instead of piercing something like he expected, the arrow bounced off of something and fell to the ground. He swore that right when the arrow should have hit something, there was a brief flash of light. No normal animal would have caused such a light, and what exactly did the arrow bounce off of?

Tarre cautiously dismounted Ordona and approached the tree. As he stepped closer, he unknowingly stepped onto a glyph on the ground. The glyph shone with a brilliant light, and some kind of magic coursed through his body. He felt paralyzed: Tarre collapsed to the ground, falling unconscious.

"Hoo! My magic seems to have worked." Kaepora Gaebora observed gleefully.

"Thank you Uncle. Now, we need to take his horse away. If he has to walk around, that will significantly slow down his pursuit of us."

"How exactly are you going to separate him from his steed?" Kaepora tilted his head slightly.

"I have never actually done this before on anyone other than myself, but I figure now's the perfect time to test out what I can do. I am going to mount the horse and then activate Farore's Wind. Her power should be able to guide us back across the canyon." Azera explained.

"Alright. I shall wait for you on the other side of the canyon, then." With that, Kaepora rose into the air and glided across the chasm.

Azera slowly glided down to the ground from the top of the tree. The horse watched her wearily, clearly showing signs of agitation.

"I am sorry: we cannot allow you to remain with this man. He is a threat to us. Do not worry: I will not hurt you." Azera assured the horse, holding up an apple. The horse hesitated after it noticed the apple sitting in the Princess' hand.

Azera walked closer to the horse, keeping the apple out in front of herself. The horse tentatively stepped forward as Azera did, keeping its eyes on both her and the apple.

"If you let me mount you, I will allow you to eat the apple. Is this agreeable?" Azera gently asked. The horse sniffed the air, trying to figure out what its options were. The apple smelled good, and the girl did offer it to her.

Oddly enough though, when Ordona smelled the air, she noticed a familiar scent. It was a male's, quite similar to Tarre's own scent. This made her feel calmer, which inspired her decision to quietly allow this strange girl to mount her. Azera cautiously mounted the horse, and when she succeeded, was true to her word: she held the apple up and allowed Ordona to eat it. The horse was reassured when she realized that the apple was not some kind of trick.

"Okay, now, for the hard part… sorry horsey, you might not like this very much. Just, um, don't look down." Azera giggled nervously as she activated Farore's power. The horse was understandably startled when its hooves left the ground; for a few seconds, the princess and horse simply remained suspended in midair as Azera tried to get a feel for how much power she needed to use to launch them safely across the canyon. Then, without much warning, her power activated and the pair soared through the sky.

They safely touched down on the opposite side of the canyon, but the horse's legs immediately buckled. It seemed completely unprepared for such a journey; Azera had to admit she could not blame the animal.

"S-sorry, I had no choice! You can't fly on your own. Come on now: I promise we can get you more apples if you come with us. That's a good horsey." Azera encouraged the horse to stand again, and she dismounted it. She thought it better to simply lead the horse away on foot.

When she returned to camp, everyone else looked ready to go.

"S-sister, what's up?" Azera looked confused.

"I was not sure how exactly our plan was going to work… I decided that we really cannot afford to sit here idly for the rest of the night. If our pursuer is still unconscious, we need to get moving as soon as possible. The further away we get, the better. Right everyone?" Zelda looked to her friends, who all seemed to agree with her line of thinking.

"I-I guess. But if you guys get tired, we should rest."

"Certainly, we can stop to rest if the environment allows for it. But we must be constantly vigilant as we cross into Tolmtraccileon's domain." Ricano reminded everyone.

"So now we have a horse and a hawk…" Zelda muttered, looking over at the horse that Azera brought to them. Hopefully this meant that their pursuer would have a much harder time catching up with them.

"Okay, I guess we should head out?" Zukto and the rest of the group slowly made their way towards Tolmtraccileon.

After Ruellian and Kyoshiro arrived in Charcai, she quickly guided him into a private room and locked the door behind them. Kyoshiro looked at her nervously, not sure what to expect.

"Kyoshiro, I need a favor from you. I need you to find Master Kkladekk. I figure he must be here somewhere; ask him if he needs help with anything. In short, I need you to get some kind of assignment from him." She explained.

"W-wait, but you said before… you said that Kkladekk is the one who was controlling me. You want me to approach him on my own?!"

"Exactly. We must hide in plain sight: you must actively work with Kkladekk to keep up our ruse. The more you work, the less he can be suspicious about you. Master trusts you specifically because you are under his control-well you _were_ under his control, I should say."

"I-I guess I understand what you mean. So I just need to find this Kkladekk and get him to give me some kind of job. And then I come back here and tell you what it is?"

"Exactly. You and I can discuss the particulars of the job once Master Kkladekk gives it to you. By the way: take care to show the proper respect to Master Kkladekk. If you forget to call him Master, that will look suspicious." Ruellian warned him.

"So um, why am I going by myself?" Kyoshiro hesitated to ask, wondering if his strange friend would get mad at him for asking.

"I want to keep this form of mine a secret for now. And I do not want Master Kkladekk to know that we are working together. The less he knows, the better. By the way, you might need your ring to get into certain parts of this egress: take this with you, but do not touch it. The magic would immediately cloud your brain again. When you return, I will take the ring back." Ruellian took the ring carefully out of one of her pockets and slipped it into one of Kyoshiro's pockets in turn.

"I guess I understand that. Okay. I just need to find Master Kkladekk then… guess I'll see you in a bit?" Kyoshiro hesitantly left 'Sheik' behind. He wondered what the hell he was doing, but then again it wasn't like he had a wealth of options at this point…

Kyoshiro wandered around the strange facility. It seemed familiar to him, but at the same time he had no idea where he was or what he was doing. As he was starting to feel stupid for wandering around by himself with no clue as to where he needed to be, he crossed paths with an incredible-looking man. The man looked like the sort of person who could easily command respect. He had a sullen gaze, and his entire head was framed with what appeared to be a helmet shaped like the head of a dragon. The helmet had two horns that extended outwards from the crest. The rest of his armor also appeared to be dragon-themed.

"Hey. You know where Master Kkladekk is?" Kyoshiro suddenly blurted out. He figured that this man had to be working with them, though he had no idea who he was talking to.

"I was just heading there to speak to him myself. As long as you don't get in my way, feel free to come with." The man gruffly invited Kyoshiro to follow him; Kyoshiro accepted the invitation, and partly felt glad that this man was not being overly talkative or inviting. The less the man talked, the less Kyoshiro would have to talk in return; he had to make sure not to give himself away, so remaining quiet seemed like the most effective way of accomplishing his mission.

The two men walked silently through the halls. Kyoshiro felt on edge the whole time, not sure how he should be acting or talking. Would they find him suspicious? He hoped that this 'Master Kkladekk' person would not realize that the ring he was wearing was a fake.

Finally, the man in full armor stopped at a door.

"I am going first. Wait until I am done." Was all he said before he entered the door and shut it firmly behind him.

At first Kyoshiro did just stand there, but waiting there awkwardly was unnerving him. And he was getting curious: he stepped just a bit closer to the door and strained his ears to hear what was being talked about:

"... the dragon yet?" This first voice was speaking softly, so Kyoshiro had to try really hard to understand what was being said.

"Not in Firean." The gruff man who Kyoshiro followed was not speaking quietly, so it was easy to hear him.

"... Of course Tolmtraccileon would not be in Firean! Are you daft?!" The first voice was clearly agitated now, so Kyoshiro had a much easier time understanding them.

""Wh-what do you mean by that, Master?"

"When Tolmtraccileon was slain in Firean, he would have entered a new reincarnation cycle. His soul likely returned to Charcai… he is somewhere in Charcai now without a doubt. Likely he will be in Tolmtraccileon, his old home, searching for his shrine. You must locate him immediately, and return him to me. We cannot allow him to find his shrine. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes Sir."

"Also, Volga…"

"Yes?"

"If you find Zukto out there, you are to kill him on sight. But the Princess he travels with is to be captured and brought to me."

"You can count on me. That whelp has never fought a true warrior." The man scoffed.

Kyoshiro figured the conversation was going to end soon, so he hurried away. He had no desire to approach this 'Kkladekk' person by himself, and he did not want anyone to know that he had been eavesdropping. This mission, finding a dragon, seemed important enough right?

Kyoshiro did not stop until he was back in the room alone with the person who asked him to call her Sheik. She stood up as soon as he entered the room.

"Alright, where are we going? Do not mention details yet. We can discuss the particulars once we leave this place; too much a risk of someone hearing us."

Kyoshiro knew she had a point: after all, he personally was just overhearing a conversation that was supposed to be 'private…'

"Charcai… so we're already here, but a place called Tolmtra-tolma… ccileon?" He was having trouble with the name.

"Okay. Follow me."

Everything was foreign to him now. Kyoshiro wondered why his life had become so strange.


	28. Venturing Further into Tolmtraccileon

Link offered to keep the animals under control, an arrangement that was almost too good to be true for the group of adventurers. From their perspective, it simply seemed as though Link was making good on his claim that he could communicate well with animals. The horse and the hawk listened to everything he said without question. What they did not realize, however, was that the excellent obedience on the part of the beasts was more to do with the fact that they were raised alongside Link. Link was determined to keep that fact a secret for as long as he could, at least until he could figure out how to bring up the subject without his friends automatically assuming that this was a trap.

Link had a lot on his mind, now. He was so close to reuniting with his grandfather, but at what cost? His grandfather was hunting them down, and not because he was going to become their ally. Link was worried about how he could settle this situation without violence: his stomach knotted up when he imagined having to hurt the man who single-handedly raised him since he was young.

 _Grandfather… I have to talk to you at least once. I need to know why you are working with Kkladekk. There is no way that grandfather actually knows who Kkladekk is, right? This is just a job to him: he needs to work to support himself. I wish I could believe that, but… that would make this too easy. After everything we have been through on this journey, I feel like I am setting myself up to be disappointed if I naively assume that everything can be resolved peacefully. I just… I am not ready to fight him. I can rationally think this through, I know how likely it is that there will be a fight… but I just can't accept it yet. Gods, please guide me…!_

Zelda looked over at Link as the group traveled quietly through the moonlit wilderness of Tolmtraccileon. She immediately could tell that something was weighing heavily on him, but what could it possibly be? She furrowed her brow.

 _Sister, you look concerned._

 _Ah, Azera… I see you have become comfortable with using your powers._

 _I now understand what you mean about not having moments to ourselves. This power we share is quite indispensable._

 _Anyway, to respond to your observation… I am concerned about Link. He usually does not look so troubled._

 _I, of course, have not known Link for long, so I cannot confirm or deny that. But I agree with you that he looks upset. Everyone is fine, though, so it makes me wonder what could be so worrisome._

 _Indeed, what could occupy his mind so…?_

In the distance, the silence of the evening was interrupted by a loud rumble. Everyone looked worriedly up at the sky, which was still clear.

"That was thunder we just heard, right? But I do not see any clouds." Zukto observed.

"It is likely a localized storm." Ricando guessed.

"A localized storm?"

"Due to the instability of the magic in this region, we will likely see several strange things. If we climb to the top of this mountain, you will better understand what I mean."

The monadnock was not particularly steep, so the climb to the top was not difficult. The travelers opted to scale to the top of the tall landmark, as opposed to walking around it, so they could get a good view of what the region looked like.

Zukto was not prepared for the chaos that revealed itself scattered across the Tolmtraccileon landscape. There was a blazing forest fire, a thunder and lightning storm-likely the same one they heard before- dancing around an ancient castle, a snow storm pummeling a small town, a heavy rain flooding a valley… it seemed as if nowhere was safe from the onslaught of nature itself.

"This is Tolmtraccileon? This is… well, I can see why no one would want to come here." Zukto furrowed his brow.

"Tolmtraccileon was not always like this, of course. But yes, Charcaians have by and large given up on this region. Some people are stuck here, of course… they have nowhere else to go. Some of them have lived here their whole lives and cannot bear to leave their homes… but they are right not to give up hope. We will restore Tolmtraccileon to power, which will quiet the chaos of Krandses' magic. Come: we must make haste."

"To where?" Zukto was not sure which area seemed safer, which made him nervous. The shrine could be hiding anywhere, but he hoped that Ricando could point them in the right direction.

Ricando struck the ground with his staff. The orb that decorated it began to glow, but it quickly faded. Ricando frowned.

"I had a feeling that Krandses' influence here was great, but it appears that I underestimated how great. I cannot get a feel for the location of the shrine… there is too much dark magic here. We will simply have to search for it-"

"Wait a second! You ought to know already where the shrines are located. How could you not, after being alive for so long?!" Zelda pointed out indignantly before he could finish. Everyone took pause here, realizing that she had a point.

"I suppose that while you have a point, I did fail to mention a rather crucial detail: I am blind." Ricando explained. Everyone's face revealed that they had not been expecting such a confession.

"Oh! Just like-" Zelda remembered with a start, however, that she promised not to say anything about Zukto's parents so she quickly stopped talking. Zukto looked at her quizzically: just what was she about to say?

"So using the orb allows you to feel the land since you cannot rely on your vision." Link observed.

"Precisely."

"How did you know that I bear the mark of Krandses on my face if you could not see it?"

"I am quite familiar with his magic; surely that comes as no surprise to you. I can tell different types of magic from one another."

"So we need to figure out a way to restore the 'sight' you have through the orb you are carrying around? Hm…" Zukto paused here, trying to do what Zelda would do. She always calmly gathered the information she needed and made careful considerations before suggesting anything. If they needed to 'restore Ricando's sight,' that first necessitated that they understood what was blocking his powers from working.

Krandses' magic, of course, was the culprit. But this presented them with a conundrum: in Samekh, they were only able to dispel Krandses' dark magic by finding the shrine and purifying it. They wanted to find the shrine in Tolmtraccileon, but Krandses' magic was obscuring the location of the shrine from them. It was as Ricando suggested: they would have no choice but journey around the region, trying to pick up hints about where the shrine was hiding…

"This would be so much easier if we could speak to Lord Tolma directly. But of course because of Krandses' magic, I cannot sense his presence either. And he had to go into hiding because of Lord Charcai's edict, so we also have to search for him."

"Would he not be hiding at the shrine, just like Lord Samekh?" Zelda questioned.

"He cannot hide at the shrine, no. I can give you a clue about the shrine itself, so maybe you will recognize it when you see it based off of my description. The shrine itself is not hidden, so Tolmtraccileon would be noticed right away. Lord Samekh has an advantage in that he can look like a perfectly ordinary wolf. Lord Tolma, however, is a massive dragon… such creatures do not exist in abundance in our land. He may have found a way to hide close to the shrine, but he cannot be as close to his shrine as Samekh is to his.

But I digress; the shrine is actually located right in the middle of a beautiful fountain. The fountain endlessly replenishes itself with water, and the plants that grow around the fountain are the most beautiful species in all of Charcai. Mortals, a long time ago, would place offerings at the foot of the marble stairs that lead up to this fountain because they knew that the God who claimed Tolmtraccileon as his domain was fond of this mystical fountain, and they wished that he would use his powers to bless them with favorable weather."

"A fountain… though fountains are somewhat commonplace in Hyrule Castle Town and around the Castle proper, I feel like such a landmark would stand out from its surroundings here in Charcai. It is probably not located in the center of some town." Zelda guessed.

"I guess all we can do is explore the area since none of us have been here before." Zukto shrugged slightly, having no idea what Ricando was talking about. Surely no locals knew about it either, since knowledge of the Gods was wiped out so long ago… he was afraid that the fountain was no longer going to be the marvel that Ricando was describing. After all, ages and ages of neglect surely would mean that the fountain would be in ruins by now…

"So we should try to pay attention to any place that would be big enough for a dragon to hide in, correct?" Zelda was thinking that finding Tolmtraccileon would be easier than blindly searching for a small shrine which could be nearly anywhere… in the case of a large dragon, they would be able to see it from miles away at least, so it seemed like they would not have to waste so much time and energy searching for him in comparison.

"Lord Tolma is likely going to be surprised to see so many mortals, but he would be grateful for the help."

"Wait a second, what's that?!" Link suddenly exclaimed, pointing far into the distance. Everyone hurriedly looked in the direction of Link's panicked face. There was a large, flying beast in the sky. Since they were so far away from it, nobody could actually tell what it was.

"It's hard to make out any details of it since we are so far away from it… but if we can see it all the way out there, it must be quite large. This is certainly something we should pay attention to." Zukto was feeling hesitant though; just what were they getting themselves into?

"Just be careful… we do not yet know if that thing is friend or foe." Zelda pointed out.

 _I actually have a feeling I know what that creature is… if my hunch is correct, then I hope you are prepared to fight one of the fiercest warriors you have ever encountered…_ Ricando looked pensive, opting not to say anything. There really was no point, because he did not want to deter Zukto and his friends from discovering exactly what the beast was. As far as he was concerned, the beast was going to be a hindrance to their efforts to find Tolmtraccileon and the sooner it was slain the better.

"Zel-er, sorry, I mean Sheik, we are safe now right? Can we talk?" Kyoshiro looked worried about something.

Ruellian looked up at the sky, noticing the large, fiery dragon which was thankfully soaring away from them.

"Don't talk yet. Let's go this way, away from the dragon." Ruellian urged Kyoshiro to hurry after her as she put more distance between them and the fantastic creature.

 _So Volga must be here, then. I wonder what he is doing here, but I do not want him to know that we are here so I will simply have to ignore my curiosity for now._

"About that-we need to find a dragon!" Kyoshiro muttered quietly, but he tried to be loud enough so at least his strange partner would hear him. Ruellian paused when she realized what Kyoshiro said.

"A dragon, you say…?" She was not looking at him.

"Y-yeah, something about being killed in one place but appearing in Charcai due to a reincarnation cycle… I didn't understand, I'm sorry… maybe if I had my memories back, it would make more sense…" Kyoshiro stammered, hoping that she would not ask more questions. After all, he had only eavesdropped on someone else's conversation…

"A reincarnation cycle…? A dragon, being reincarnated here? But there are no-oh! Now, this is quite curious… I always wondered where that old dragon had come from. I guess he is originally from Charcai, then…" Ruellian muttered mostly to herself.

"S-so, you know what we are looking for?"

"The dragon's name is Tolmtraccileon, the same as this region. That's what Master said, anyway. We had captured this dragon, subdued it, and ordered it to guard a temple in another place. Unfortunately for us, someone was able to slay the dragon. Tolmtraccileon is much too dangerous for us to allow him to roam freely, which is why Master wants to find him again.

I had no idea that it was so powerful that it could defy death, but I suppose it makes sense. After all, if this entire region is named after the beast… he must be pretty important. Anyway, we're looking for a dragon. The dragon will not look like that one that you saw flying away from us, by the way: Tolmtraccileon is much, much bigger than that thing."

"B-bigger?!" Kyoshiro felt unsure about this mission; what in Din's name had he gotten himself into?

"Yes, bigger. So really, how hard can it be to find?" Ruellian did not really look concerned about it.

"But if no one has found it so far…!" Kyoshiro protested.

"No one found it because we did not know where to find it. But you got that information for us, so that's a help at least. I wonder if _he_ is here for the same reason…" Ruellian muttered that last part mostly to herself.

"H-how can you be so calm about this?! You're a woman, and this thing is-" Kyoshiro began, the consternation in his voice apparent.

"I may be a woman, Kyoshiro, but I have powers beyond that of regular mortals. We were meant to chase legends and ancient beasts, we were meant to show our prowess on the battlefield. You are the same as me, you know: you are quite strong. I know you cannot remember all of the battles you have fought, but trust me when I say that you are no ordinary man. You must trust your instincts, because when we get into a fight they will surely make their presence known." Though Ruellian said this, she felt unsure of herself. Just what was so special about that blonde-haired woman who so easily overpowered her?

 _I still need to pay that wretch back for hurting Shaikh Ethe. I hope I see her again._

"M-my instincts…?" Kyoshiro looked down at the sword that was safely housed in its sheath. He could not remember ever having used a sword in his life, much less a dagger. How could he possibly fight against a dragon?

"... Please, Sheik, when we find a good spot… show me what you mean. I want to see for myself what these instincts are. I have never used a sword in my life, at least according to my memories. Fight with me… please?" Kyoshiro sounded unsure of himself, but Ruellian could not blame him. He was still confused by all of the gaps in his memory.

"... Okay, we shall practice a bit. If it will help you to feel more confident going forward, it would be foolish of me to deny you this request. I think a safe place for us to test your skills with a blade is that old castle." Ruellian pointed in the direction of the castle that was surrounded by dark clouds.

"Y-you want us to go there?"

"You want to see what you are capable of, right? The Kyoshiro who I knew before would not back down from a challenge."

"... Fine. Let's go."

The dragon beat its powerful wings, reveling in the feeling of the wind blowing through his fiery mane. He watched the land below him zoom out of view, not really concerning himself with what was going on below. He only cared about his mission: find Tolmtraccileon and kill Zukto. He had no feelings in particular about the dragon he was to capture or the man he was to slay: this was merely a job, something to pass the time with. He did hope that Zukto was not a complete pushover, though, because he hated wasting his time by fighting people who could not put up a fight.

In no time, he found what he was looking for. The dragon dove towards the ground, getting ready to land. He quickly pulled out of his dive at the very last second, his body quickly morphing itself from that of a dragon to that of a man.

Volga the Draconic Knight hit the ground and softened his landing by pulling himself into a forward roll. When he stood back up, he looked around slowly.

"I know this is the place that Master Kkladekk said we could not allow the Dragon God to find… well, at the very least, it appears as though the God has not been able to find it." Volga grunted, muttering to himself.

There was malevolent energy pouring out from the shrine, shrouding the entire area in a strange purple fog. Volga did not seem to mind it.

 _Even if that stupid beast did come here, I don't see what Master is so worked up about. The shrine is pumping out so much tainted energy that the beast would be quickly paralyzed, perhaps even in time he himself would be corrupted. We ought to try that out sometime… I would not mind claiming Tolmtraccileon for myself: he would be a worthy beast to ride into battle._

 _Well, I have confirmed that he is not hanging around here. I will have to make a thorough search of the rest of the region. You would think a dragon half the size of a mountain would be easy to see._

Volga's body began to twist and contort itself as a pair of scaly wings unfurled themselves from his body. Within moments, Volga once again took on the shape of a fiery, winged dragon. The shapeshifting knight took to the skies once more to search for his prey.

***

Zukto and his friends descended from the small mountain and returned to the marked trail that led them around the mountain. Ricando suggested that they first journey to the small town that they saw being buried under the snow. Everyone had misgivings about their new destination because none of them had ever seen so much snow in one place before.

Ricando assured them that the trek to the village would prove to be worthwhile, though he did not say why.

 _Never before in my life did I imagine that I would be traveling with such an… interesting… group._ Zelda marveled quietly at the company she found herself in. It felt like forever ago that she worked alone, content to take orders from Master Impa and accomplish all of her tasks without anyone's help. But she realized that back then Master Impa was purposely giving her assignments that _could_ be accomplished by a single person. The events that transpired ever since Zukto found them, however, were another matter entirely. Zelda had to admit that they would have been impossible to deal with on her own. Thinking about that from another angle made her nervous: if they continued to gather more allies, what did that say about the challenges that awaited them? How much more difficult would their journey be? They still knew so little about the people who aligned themselves with Zukto's brother.

It bothered her that she had, until recently, heard so little about Darkness Orb: it made sense though, after discovering the book that Zukto could read. Very few people even in Charcai knew about Darkness Orb, so it stood to reason that there would not be a wealth of books about the topic… unless the books were still hiding somewhere. Lanai and Thalian said that they were 'keepers of ancient knowledge,' so Zelda wondered if that meant both in the figurative and literal sense. Perhaps back where Zukto used to live there was a wealth of books that had not seen the outside world for centuries. Just imagining an entire library of unexplored knowledge excited her, however…

Thinking about her present company made her think about Kyoshiro as well, which made her feel melancholy. They had to figure out how to break Kkladekk's control over him, and the sooner the better. Everything felt so uncertain though, which really bothered her. Where was Kyoshiro? Was he okay? How would they be able to find him? Would they have to keep fighting him?

Besides being troubled about her adoptive brother, Zelda could not help but stare at her younger sister in awe and disbelief. This girl was, by all rights, a child. After all, she had only experienced the sorts of things that a young girl of royal birth would be exposed to: she had been quite sheltered, and would have been wholly incapable of venturing away from home on her own in any ordinary circumstance. And yet here she was, competent enough to fight for herself. Zelda knew that the Goddesses' powers were the deciding factor that allowed Azera to become one of their allies, but what Zelda could not wrap her mind around was how the girl could be so calm, so accepting of the circumstances which brought her into a life so unlike the one she had known back at the Castle. Her sister did not really seem phased at all; in fact, judging by the smile that lit up her face when she locked eyes with her older sister, she seemed right at home among the adventurers, even in the strange land of Charcai.

 _Azera… I could not help but wonder… how are you so calm about this?_ Zelda projected her thoughts to her younger sister, not wanting anyone else to hear their conversation.

 _Calm about what?_ Azera tilted her head out of curiosity, not immediately knowing what Zelda was referring to.

 _About everything! You just up and left Hyrule so suddenly. It is so amazing to me because one minute you were a sheltered child and now, now…_

 _There is no reason to be afraid of anything because I am with you._ Azera smiled.

 _D-Do not be silly. There is plenty to be worried about. For one, you have seen it for yourself. When I lose control, I mean. If I did not have this godforsaken curse, I could understand. But not even the people who I care about are safe now, not with Demise poisoning my mind… do not drop your guard around me, Azera. I have told you before, right? I will never be able to forgive myself if I hurt you. Even that one time, even though I was able to stop Demise from controlling my body, I…_ Zelda felt sick just thinking about the night when Demise tried to kill Azera.

 _Then I will just have to train enough to make it hard for you to hurt me. The fact that you were able to fight Him off for my sake, well… that makes me confident that you are not so helpless as you make it seem. You are not just a Princess, remember? You yourself are an ancient, reincarnated Goddess. You possess incredible powers, Sister. Perhaps you cannot control them at will yet, but I know that in time your powers will manifest themselves. The Goddess' power always comes to Hyrule's aid, and this time will be no different._

 _I… I am not so sure. Never before in our history, I believe, was Power and Wisdom joined in one body and mind._

 _But you are not yet joined in one body and mind. You stand here in defiance of Power._

 _I… I am afraid that I do not have much time left._ Zelda looked away from her sister. Azera furrowed her brow in concern.

 _Why would you say that? You seem fine to me._

 _We were talking to Ricando before you found us… Demise is corrupting my soul. And being here in Charcai, where the power of the Gods that blessed the land has been suffocated by Krandses' dark influence… Demise gets more powerful being here._

… _While I understand your concern, I do not want Demise to believe that He has won already. I, with the power of the Golden Goddesses, will not rest until we triumph over the Demon King. You have my word, Sister, that I will remain at your side as long as the Goddesses allow me to remain in the realm of mortals. As long as you are alive, and as long as you are fighting, I too shall fight._

Zelda sighed.

 _What is wrong, Sister?_

 _I told myself that there was no need for you to get caught up in my mess, and yet here you are… I thought it was irresponsible of me to disrupt the life our parents created for you… and so that is why I kept quiet about everything for so long._

 _I understand, Sister. But now you do not need to keep quiet about anything. Let me carry your burdens with you, okay? I want to be by your side, and I do not want you to suffer in silence._

 _Azera… nothing I have ever done is enough to deserve a sister like you._ Zelda sighed again.

 _Nonsense. We have to look out for each other. There is no better friend than a sister, right?_ Azera smiled gently.

 _In my case, that is absolutely the truth. Thank you, Azera. You are such an amazing child; Hyrule is lucky to have you._

 _I am not as amazing as you._

 _Wh-what do you mean by that? I am…_ Zelda held herself back from telling her sister what she really thought about herself. She had a feeling she knew how Azera would react if she told her younger sister that she thought herself to be one of Hyurle's worst princesses, and it seemed altogether easier to push that topic of discussion aside for the time being.

Zelda looked around for something to distract herself as a way to back out of the conversation between her and Azera. At first nothing really caught her eye, but off in the distance she noticed a creature soaring through the skies. It did not look so big since they were a considerable distance from it, but she was nervous because that meant that it was a considerable size once you were standing before it.

The beast could not be Tolmtraccileon, she reasoned, because he was ordered into hiding by Charcai. He would not, then, so brazenly be patrolling the skies. If this creature was not Tolmtraccileon, though, no one had any idea why this beast was flying around. The locals had to be worried about it, but then again life in general in the region seemed to be quite chaotic.

 _That thing… is not looking for us, is it?_ Zelda narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to imagine what the beast's objective was.

***

Ruellian and Kyoshiro wordlessly traveled together through the strange wilderness. Kyoshiro was still having a hard time understanding what was happening to him: none of it seemed real. After all, he was faced with the realization that he was now 24, and could not remember anything that had happened during the five years of his supposed brainwashing. He strained to draw anything out from the back of his mind, anything that would give him clarity… but nothing except contextless fragments of memories flashed across his mind. He only felt more confused, seeing brief glimpses of strange faces and the distant murmurs of voices that were foreign to him. He was starting to feel anxious.

"Zel-Sheik. Please. You've known me this whole time… tell me what's been going on. What have I been doing? What was that Kkladekk making me do?" Kyoshiro finally pleaded.

Ruellian could hear the desperation in his voice.

"Kyoshiro, are you perhaps worried that you have been doing unsavory things? Actually, to my knowledge, you are clear on that account. You do know where you have been staying, correct? You are officially under employment of Hyrule's Bounty Hunter Headquarters. People just call it the BH locally. It's an organization that works under the guidance of the Hylian Royal Family. When troublemakers or lawbreakers become especially vexatious and the Hylian Royal Guard either cannot handle them or find them, they send in the Bounty Hunters. Bounty Hunters are men and women like yourself who are skilled at some kind of combat and who do not mind risking their lives in exchange for money. Really, you've been performing a valuable service for Hyrule as far as I can tell.

Master Kkladekk, after you healed from your injuries, employed you as a Bounty Hunter and saw to your training personally. You are right: before we found you, you were not particularly skilled in combat. But thanks to Master's training… well, you are no pushover now, that is certain. In fact, you came to be one of Master's personal favorite Bounty Hunters. You never shied away from any job, actually. You took on jobs even when you knew you were going to be outnumbered, and you always insisted that you do them alone. Master loved that about you, that you never looked for excuses. Master does not enjoy being let down by his subordinates, and you seemed to make it your personal mission to always execute your jobs in a way that was above reproach.

But… I should say… I have not known you this whole time. Kyoshiro… nobody knows anything about you. You never talked about yourself; you never talked about anything except work, your training, and the other members of the BH. You would let them talk about themselves, but you never followed up with anything personal of your own. Why is that?" Ruellian turned to look at Kyoshiro, her expression a strange mixture of bemusement and pity. Kyoshiro looked equally taken aback by what his strange partner revealed to him.

"I… I never talked about myself? Ever?"

"No, not that I ever heard of. And people in the BH don't tend to keep secrets. Once something gets out to a general member, everyone else talks about it too. But I never once heard anything about you. Except… you finally broke the silence yourself not too long ago when it was just you and me. You seemed upset about something, and you lashed out at me. In your anger, you claimed that you have no parents. Before that little episode of yours, I never had any idea of what your life was like. Even now, I cannot claim to know you very well. Unless of course that is you decide to help me understand."

"... I told you about that, huh… but I am pretty sure I never talked about that around anyone, not even before I joined the BH as you say. Why would I yell at you about it? I'm sorry, I can't remember what you're talking about at all. But that's weird… does that mean I trust you? I would not say that to just anyone."

Ruellian took pause at this, not having anticipated something like this.

"But then again… I am surprised that you don't talk like the others about me." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"... I used to hear it a lot more when I was a young kid. I don't know if they stopped doing it because they don't recognize me now, or maybe they just forgot about me. But while I was growing up at the orphanage, adults would come in every now and then to see the children living there so they could pick one to welcome into their family. I would overhear them when they were talking to the people who were in charge of us. They would say things like 'that bastard child is still here?' and 'you should not be allowing that wretched boy to play with the other children. He will taint them.'" Kyoshiro avoided making eye contact with Ruellian who was unexpectedly hit with a surge of emotion.

"They… they said those awful things about you? But why…?"

"The hell if I know; I was just a kid. I never did anything. I never asked to be dumped in that orphanage. Hell, I never asked to be born. But I guess I have to deal with this shit anyway.

I can't remember everything, but I am guessing that's part of the reason that I did not want to talk about myself… my thinking could have been that if everyone truly did forget that I was the so-called 'wretched boy' who formerly lived at the orphanage, I wanted to keep it that way. If I never talked about myself, they would not realize I was that same kid. If I always talked about work, they would assume that I was a respectable professional. And so… hiding the truth about my past was probably less painful than the alternative."

 _Did… Did Master Kkladekk know about Kyoshiro's life when he was a young boy? But if that was the case, why did Kkladekk not simply adopt Kyoshiro from the beginning? We could have been training him from a much earlier age, he could have started working for us years ago… none of this makes any sense._

"I never heard about such talk myself, but then again, I must admit that I never found myself particularly involved with the locals in Castle Town. I was pretty busy working with Master Kkladekk. Most of the work I've been doing has nothing to do with the City, so I was not there for too long at any given time."

"If all I did was protect Hylians from criminals as you say, why would I need to be brainwashed for something like that? That seems like a job that any reasonable person would willingly agree to as long as they were strong enough to fight." Kyoshiro glanced over at Sheik worriedly.

"I would love to know the answer to that myself. Why indeed… something does not make sense here. Master Kkladekk is hiding something. But don't worry: I promise you that we will get to the bottom of this."

"What is… what is this Kkladekk guy like?"

"Master Kkladekk… he is as much of a mystery as you have been. I know he is from Charcai; he has family here; his brother is looking for him; and he has very rarely talked about needing to settle a score with someone. But besides that, he does not often talk about himself. His primary goal for the time being is to find a powerful artifact that he refers to as 'the Darkness Orb.'"

"Darkness Orb…" Kyoshiro strained his mind, trying to discern why the phrase sounded so familiar to him.

"Actually, he called our little group Darkness Orb. You're a member of it. Perhaps Master Kkladekk was simply using the BH missions to make sure you were confident fighting other people before he got you heavily involved with our top priority missions. Seeing as you have been working pretty hard for the past five years, maybe he's ready now to send you out with us. That's why he told you to find the dragon."

 _Well, to be fair he never actually told me about it… but I don't have the guts to tell her that._

"What's this Darkness Orb like?"

"None of us really know because none of us have seen it. There's a strange, magical orb that exists near the capital city of Charcai, Immolate Throne. Master Kkladekk told us that this orb has specifically targeted our organization in the past, so we have been ordered not to approach it. The orb is never guarded, which I find strange. I wonder if there is a way for us to seal its power, that way we could approach it and collect it for ourselves… even if this particular orb is not Darkness Orb, maybe it could help us find the real one."

"Why are you helping him look for this thing anyway? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Well… not really. Master owns me."

"Owns? What the hell does that mean? People don't own other people."

"Tell me this, Kyoshiro: if a man wipes out your memories to the point that you cannot properly recall your life for the past 5 years, can you truly claim that you are free? It seems to me that Master Kkladekk owns you, and the same can be said for me. Master Kkladekk used his magic to create me, to be specific.

I am not like you or the others… I am not a person. I am Master Kkladekk's creation, and as such I am not to defy him. If he becomes displeased with me, I am sure that he would either brainwash me and wipe out my memories as he did with you, or perhaps he would even go so far as to erase my existence entirely… after all, if he created something like me once, he can do so again." Ruellian's face was somber.

Kyoshiro began to speak without even really thinking.

"I-I don't really understand what you mean when you say you're not a person. You sure as hell look like one to me. And people cannot be creations, they're born. You should know that. If you truly were created as you claim, then wouldn't that mean that… Kkladekk… isn't… a person either?" His eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"Kkladekk is a God, isn't he?" He sounded like he wanted Sheik to deny the plausibility of his discovery, but he had a feeling she was not going to deny anything at this point.

Ruellian and Kyoshiro stared at each other in stunned silence.

"We're insane, you know, for opposing a God. Are you sure you want to do this?" Kyoshiro finally spoke up.

"... Yes. I need to know the truth for myself about what's going on here. I will no longer be satisfied by absentmindedly following his orders. But… I never said anything about opposing him, you know."

"Why not? This guy is cornering people like you and me who have nowhere else to go and forcing them to be grateful for his help. Isn't that kind of messed up? He stole five years of my life from me. It kind of freaks me out still to think about it, knowing that I will never get my time back. But I don't care what his reasons are. I think we ought to stand up to him."

"I-I don't know…"

"Come on, Sheik. You said yourself that he has the power to get rid of you. Do you really want to be beholden to someone who might on a whim decide you're no longer desirable? No one wanted me when I was younger. But all of a sudden, you showed up and helped me get my life back. I still don't have any of my memories yet, but this is a start at least. If you're willing to stick your neck out for me, I'll do the same for you. I owe you at least that much." Kyoshiro looked firmly at his new partner. Ruellian smiled slightly.

"We need to be careful for now, because our powers really are no match for his. I hope you understand that."

"Y-yes, we need to be discrete for now while we try to gather more information. But maybe some covert sabotage would not be out of the question?" Kyoshiro grinned mischievously.

"My, that is quite bold."

"Hey, I need to show that bastard a thing or two. I don't care if he's a God. You know, for a God, he seems to not really do much. Always telling others to do everything for him. Doesn't he know that if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself? This'll come back to bite him." Kyoshiro chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.

"H-hey… I need to tell you something." Ruellian suddenly blurted out.

"Y-yeah? What is it?"

"My name… I lied to you before. I was trying to see how badly your mind was messed up. I'm sorry about that… but if we're really going to be working together then… call me Ruellian."

"Ruellian?" Kyoshiro momentarily looked like the name meant something to him, but he was getting annoyed about not being able to remember anything concretely.

"It's okay though, I'm not mad or anything. I guess it's kind of nice to know you trust me too."

 _Trust… why do other people always make such a big deal out of this? I don't really understand. Maybe that's because I never really knew what it was like for someone to trust me…? And for that matter, did I ever actually trust anyone else…? This is strange-I was not actually prepared for something like this, to be honest. Can we really oppose Master Kkladekk…?_

"Ruellian? You okay?" Kyoshiro could tell that she was conflicted.

"Y-yes, I am fine… I just… I guess I am afraid. Heh, you have none of your memories and yet you don't seem to be hesitating at all. I could learn something from you, clearly."

"So you want to help me, then?" Kyoshiro grinned again.

"Yes. I cannot deny the truth of what you say… being beholden to someone who will arbitrarily deem that I am no longer useful or deserving of my life… what kind of a life is that? Why should I exist at all if that is to be my reality? I think taking control of my own fate… it is scary because of who we are up against, but it is also exciting. I could be my own master. Why not?"

"I always thought that I could only rely on myself, you know, since I was abandoned when I was a child. I obviously could not rely on any adults. I still kind of think that in a way, but I see now that even that way of thinking does not always work out in your favor. After all, if you thought the same way that I did… well, I couldn't be here to have this conversation with you. I just want you to understand how thankful I am for your help: I am really in your debt."

"Well, don't thank me just yet. After all, we both are still in a precarious situation."

"Hey, speaking of a precarious situation… um… how many others are there?" Kyoshiro suddenly interjected. Ruellian could tell that he was nervous.

"How many others? Oh, do you mean the other people in the group? Well, you probably won't remember who any of these people are but I'll name them for you: of course, we have Master Kkladekk to start. Then there is you and me, and Sentinel Pride, the Draconic Knight Volga, Shaikh Ethe, Tarre the Hunter, the old Warden Viron, Narine, the Merchant Odere Linebeck, The so-called King of Evil Ganondorf, and the Honorable Senator."

"That's quite a few people there. Some interesting titles too among them… I may not have my memories back yet, but, um… _Ganondorf_ is among us? You don't mean _that_ Ganondorf do you…?" Kyoshiro dropped his voice down to a nervous whisper.

"Well, I apologize for being ignorant of your country's customs and whatnot. I do not really understand why Ganondorf is frequently referred to in such ominous terms. After all, I have never really spoken to the man except if it was directly related to something that Master Kkladekk wanted us to do. But I assume we must be referring to the same man: I have not heard of any other with such a name."

"It's him, alright… why are we teaming up with _him_? He's… I take it you haven't heard the rumors?" Kyoshiro spoke in hushed tones for some reason. Ruellian quickly looked around, trying to figure out if Kyoshiro had seen something she had not. A cursory examination of the area did not yield anything of interest, so Ruellian wondered if Kyoshiro's behavior was merely due to nerves. Ganondorf would not be wandering around Tolmtraccileon, would he? It occured to Ruellian that she knew even less about this man than Master Kkladekk. Why was she okay with being clueless in the past? It seemed so foolhardy now for her to think about it.

"What rumors?"

*******************************************

"I have read about snow, but I have never touched it or seen it in person. This is quite the experience, I must say." Zelda remarked as she held her hand out in front of her. Snowflakes were gently falling from the sky, and she thought it was interesting that the small flakes instantly melted when they came into contact with her skin. They still had some time before they reached the town where the snow was accumulating in greater amounts, so the snow was not too deep yet.

"Is there anywhere in Hyrule where it actually snows?" Zukto asked.

"Yes. Mainly just on mountains with high elevations. Death Mountain does not have snow, naturally, because it is actually a volcano. The peak is much too warm for snow to ever accumulate. To my knowledge, there is really nothing on the mountains worth seeing at a high enough elevation where there would be snow. I never saw fit to journey out there just to satisfy my curiosity about snow; seeing it like this makes much more sense."

"Well to be fair, if things were normal out here I don't think we'd be seeing snow right now." Zukto pointed out.

"You are correct about that, Zukto. This region normally is rather temperate." Ricando explained.

"Hopefully we can help your people. I presume that this must have caused a lot of trouble for them, having to adjust their lifestyles in response to this strange phenomenon."

"Yeah, it would be nice if whatever we do here can help them out. Ultimately, helping my people should bring us closer to Charcai's Gods and perhaps even Charcai himself. We need all the help we can get if we want to stand a chance against Darkness Orb, so..."

 _We are already pretty close to Charcai, though. After all, our friend Ricando is the mortal who once served Charcai and was forced to remain alive all this time in order to help disrupt Krandses' influence. I wonder about him… is he unable to fight?_

 _He seems to be in control of strong magic, but perhaps none of the magic he uses is able to kill his opponents. I for one have never seen him injure anyone, and if his magic was really so strong I would assume that he would have already attempted to destroy the members of Darkness Orb before we came along. He seemed to be vehemently opposed to them even before we knew who he was._

 _What excuse could he have then for not killing them years ago if it is not a matter of lacking offensive magic? Why would Charcai place such a limitation on him? Killing the members of Darkness Orb seems to be the most effective way to curb their influence, after all. I will simply have to take this matter into my own hands._

"Hey Link, um, is it getting a bit cold for you?" Zukto asked, looking over to his friend who was now astride the horse they had taken from their earlier pursuer.

"Y-yeah, I have never experienced weather this cold before. Look, I can see my breath!" Link exhaled strongly to demonstrate his point. Zelda looked over at him, noticing his red cheeks and ears. She was also feeling a bit cold, but put her cloak on earlier in anticipation. Her heavy cloak seemed to help keep the cold out a bit, but it could do nothing against the snow which was getting deeper as they got closer and closer to their destination. Hopefully the locals would welcome them, as they certainly needed dry clothes, warm shelter, and food.

All of a sudden, the calm of the group was disrupted with a mighty roar that echoed across the sky.

"Wh-what in Din's name was that?" Link asked, looking around cautiously.

"That flying beast we saw from before… I assume the noise came from that thing. And now… I am starting to think my hunch was correct: that beast is looking for us." Zelda grumbled.

"What?! Looking for-well, I suppose Darkness Orb knows we're somewhere in Charcai. But how would they already know that we are in Tolmtraccileon?"

"That Hunter from before whom we captured the falcon from… he probably told them." Zelda surmised.

"Well, if this great beast is trying to find us… we need to cover our tracks." Zukto turned back to look in the direction they had come from. In the fresh snow, their footprints were plainly visible.

"If it was snowing faster, the snow would simply cover our tracks for us. However, I do not believe that the current rate of snowfall will be sufficient. It would either need to snow a lot more, or perhaps maybe we just need a powerful gust of wind-" Zelda began.

"Did you say a 'gust of wind?' I think I can help us there!" Azera piped up excitedly. She raised her arms up, and a gust of wind suddenly blew passed the adventurers. The snow danced through the wind for a few moments before it floated back to the ground. When Azera lowered her arms and the gust stopped, the group noticed that the top layer of snow was no longer blemished by footprints.

"Excellent job, Sister! This should buy us some time at least. We will need you to keep doing this every so often until we reach an area with a high concentration of footsteps: if we reach a town where there are already a lot of people, we will not need to worry about leaving a trail. No one would be able to identify our footprints out of a whole town's. It's only out here in the middle of nowhere that it would draw attention."

"At least we can see the town out there. We should be able to reach it before too long." Zukto reassured everyone.

Zelda was used to traveling, and she was also used to her very inadequate sleep schedule. However, they had been on the move for several days and she slept the least amount out of the group as always. She did not notice it right away as she stared at the ground because all of the snow was white and looked the same, but as soon as she looked over at Zukto she suddenly felt inexplicably dizzy.

 _Shit, what was that just now…?_ Zelda slowly looked around, but did not notice the world whirling around her again.

 _Oh good, maybe it was just a temporary thing. Hopefully no one noticed anything; the last thing I need is Zukto freaking out again. He always gets so dramatic when he thinks something bad happened. Maybe I just lost my footing or something._

No sooner than Zelda thought that, she actually lost her footing. Right before she was going to fall over backwards, Wrath appeared behind her and caught her.

"Now now Princess, you cannot walk through snow the same way you walk on cobblestone." Wrath teased her.

"Wrath, I-I know that! It is not like I have been losing my footing this entire time!" Zelda exclaimed indignantly, not wanting anyone else to think that she needed help.

"Hmhmhm, I seem to have struck a nerve." Wrath chuckled.

"Thank you for the help. Are you happy now?" Zelda responded tersely.

"My my, our dear Princess sure is in a lovely mood." Wrath continued his teasing.

 _Do not fall for his taunting. Do not fall for his taunting. Do not fall-_ as Zelda was trying to focus on what she was doing, another roar ripped through the sky which startled her. It sounded closer than before. Again she stumbled, but this time she was able to catch herself before she lost her footing entirely.

 _Either walking in the snow is harder than I thought, or is there actually something wrong with me…?_ Zelda tried to think about what could be affecting her so drastically.

Before she had much time to think about it, a strong gust of wind blew straight passed the group. Zelda braced herself against the wind easily enough, but the wind was quickly followed by an inexplicable blizzard! What had been a calm and insignificant flurry before was now a proper snowstorm.

"Shit! We need to get out of here!" Zelda cried, but she had to look down towards the ground to avoid the blinding snow from blasting her in the face. She pressed her hood down tightly against her head with one hand so the wind would not blow it away.

"Sister!" Azera rode the strong gusts to quickly stand at Zelda's side.

"Let me help you!" Azera held her hand out in front of her. At first Zukto was not sure if anything was actually happening, but he suddenly realized that the snow was no longer touching the princesses.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Zelda asked in amazement, noticing that the wet snow was no longer pummeling her.

"I am using Din's magic to heat the air directly in front of me: the snow is melting and evaporating before it can touch us."

"Th-that is all fine and well, but how do you expect to keep this up for long?"

"If we start running, that will not be an issue!" Azera declared as she hurried straight into the storm. Zelda noticed that Azera's trick was also melting some of the snow on the ground, making the path even wetter than it had been before.

"Princess, get on! We can keep up easily this way." Link offered Zelda a hand as he stopped his grandfather's horse next to her. Zelda used Link's hand to hoist herself up onto the horse, opting to sit behind Link.

"You gonna be okay back there?" Link asked.

"I will be fine. I rode horses a lot when I was younger; now, let us be on our way." Zelda directed.

Link nudged his horse, who responded by briskly trotting behind Azera. Zukto and Ricando quickly filed behind the horse, bringing up the rear of the group.

With Azera's magic, they were able to avoid the worst of the snowstorm. After traveling for a couple of miles through the storm, they finally found a break in the weather. Azera stopped to catch her breath.

"O-Okay, e-everyone… here we are…" She was gasping.

"Where are we, anyway?" Link asked.

"This is the outskirts of the town known as Fellsruemm." Ricando explained.

"Wait a second, I recognize that name. Fellsruemm, the place where the rare Summerfell Flower is cultivated?" Zukto asked.

"Precisely. It is good that you have at least a passing familiarity with this town: it will make it easier to talk to the locals."

"Are they accepting of strangers?" Zelda asked. For a moment, the ground seemed to swim under her but she tried to push the feeling aside. It seemed like the feeling was not going to just disappear, though, so she had to make sure they found shelter before things got worse.

"I never knew the people of Fellsruemm to be unwelcoming." Ricando nodded.

"But how long ago was it that you spoke to anyone from here?" Zukto inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, not long ago. I was looking for your parents as you might recall: I went all over Charcai."

"How lucky we would be if someone recognized you." Link looked thoughtful.

"At any rate, let us find out if they have space for all of us." Zelda suggested.

"I'll lead. Just sit tight, Princess." Link explained as he quickly dismounted the horse. Zelda adjusted herself in the saddle as Link lead Ordona with her reigns. Zelda had not said anything to anyone yet about feeling unsteady on her feet, and her pride would not allow her to. She thought that Link's penchant for being mindful of others was convenient, perhaps even too convenient. He offered her a ride supposedly without even realizing that Zelda would not have been able to run after her sister earlier.

"Azera, are you doing okay?" Zelda asked, concern etched into her face.

"I-I am fine! Don't worry about me! Anything I can do to help, I will!" Azera stammered, trying to downplay how tired she was feeling. She used a lot of magic in a short period of time, so she needed to slow down and allow herself to rest. At least the storm was no longer dragging them down.

"Oh my! Did you get caught in that storm just now?!" A voice called out to the group of wet and tired travelers. Zelda, understanding Charcaian, looked over to the owner of the voice.

The speaker was several feet away from the group, so Zelda assumed that the stranger did not hear what they had been talking about immediately before.

"Yes! What crazy weather this is!" Zukto called back.

"We don't get many visitors these days thanks to everything that's been happening. I'm surprised to see so many of you out here!"

"We have business out here. Do you live in Fellsruemm?" Zukto asked.

"Sure do. You folks needing a place to stay, I wager?"

"We would appreciate it if you could show us where we can stay for the night and where we can get something to eat." Zelda entered the conversation.

"I think we can easily accommodate those requests. Come with me, I'll show you where we let visitors rest their heads."

 _So far, so good; we found someone willing to help us. I can only pray that everyone else will be as cooperative… for all of our sakes._

The group of weary adventurers did not talk while following their unknown guide: after all, not everyone in their group knew how to speak Charcaian. They were unsure yet whether these people would remain amicable if they heard them speaking Hylian instead of Charcaian.

"So… some of your companions don't look like us." Their guide broke the silence suddenly.

"Ah, yeah, I suppose we can't really hide that from anyone." Zukto acknowledged.

"Your ears aren't like theirs… are you actually from Charcai?" The guide directed this question at Zukto.

"Both myself and the older man among us are from Charcai, yes."

"What about her? I heard her speaking Charcaian earlier." The man looked over at Zelda and nodded his head.

"I began studying your language years ago. I am not from Charcai, but I pride myself on being able to communicate with peoples from many different places." Zelda responded simply.

"If you're not from Charcai, then where…?" The guide raised an eyebrow.

"I am from a place very far from here. I hope you will do me the kindness of accepting my group as friendly travelers. We are looking for something, and mean your people no harm. If you want us to prove our good faith, I will agree to your terms as long as they are reasonable."

"Good faith, hm?" Their guide fell quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. The silence was quickly interrupted, however, by another magnificent cry that pierced the sky.

"What in Charcai was that?!" Their guide jumped out of his own skin when the mysterious cry interrupted his thoughts.

 _Please Gods no, do not catch up to us… pass us by… do not find us…_ Zelda closed her eyes tightly, focusing her energy on her thoughts.

"We have been hearing strange sounds like that a lot recently. Here is my proposition to you, then, strangers: discover what is making that noise. You don't look like just normal travelers…" Their guide paused, appearing to look the group over. "...you look like you've seen your fair share of fights. If this creature poses a threat to us… you should take it out."

"That is rather a bold request to present to people you just met." Zelda pointed out.

"That statement is only partially true… while it is true that I have never met you before, I recognize one of you. The older man in the back, he…" Their guide did not finish his thoughts out loud for some reason.

"... You aren't referring to the statue in Fellsruemm of The Wise Old Man, are you?" Ricando finally spoke up.

"Y-yes! You look exactly like…"

"I am sorry to disappoint you, my boy, but that statue has been around since before anyone can remember. How do you expect me to have anything to do with it?"

"I-I know, it sounds crazy! But! I had this feeling when I looked at you… I cannot explain it. Surely you must know the feeling I am talking about. Something that feels so familiar to you, even if you are not sure why it is. Our meeting here was destiny." The guide seemed excited for some reason. Zukto was completely taken aback: he never expected to hear a Charcaian talk about destiny or fate.

"Destiny? What in Charcai are you talking about? We've always made decisions for ourselves; we've always forged our own paths; we always…" Zukto, of course, having spent so many years of his life in Hyrule, did not really believe what he was saying. He knew now that 'destiny' actually was a real force that governed one's life… but he was bound by Charcai's edict not to say anything that would reveal the existence of the Charcaian Gods. So all he could think to do was deny something that he personally believed in.

"Do you really believe that, my brother? Do you truly believe that we forge our own paths? So then this mess that you see before you… do you believe that we brought this on ourselves? Do you believe that we chose this? No. Nobody in Fellsruemm wants this. These strange phenomena were brought here by someone else. And we are not capable of taking back our home on our own.

The statue of The Wise Old Man has a secret connected to it that the people of Fellsruemm have passed down for generations, and this secret is why I think I can ask such an unrealistic request of you. Even if you deny it, I can see it in your face: you are the Wise Old Man in the flesh. You have guided your warriors of courage, spirit, and wisdom to this place so that you can drive away whatever unknown force plagues us. You know that to turn a blind eye to our plight is a huge injustice. I humbly request that you help us reclaim our homeland."

"Luckily for you, we came here to do precisely that." Zelda stated.

"Then this truly was fate! You are touched by the Unseen! You are Charcai's silent protectors! You are guardians of truth, justice, and fate!"

 _Wh-what in Hyrule's name is this guy rambling about?_ Zelda thought to herself.

 _It seems to me… that Charcai's edict does not always work as well as intended. This individual seems to be able to discern something about Charcai that others cannot. I wonder if there have been others like him throughout these last several centuries, a few who are able to sense forces that have long remained hidden._ Wrath's thoughts flowed through her mind in response.

"Tell me more about the 'Unseen.'" Zelda requested.

"Y-yes! I would love to, but first we should make sure you are taken care of. Ah, yes, how rude of me: I never introduced myself. My name is Ethesprit."

"Well met, Ethesprit. Were you born and raised here?"

"No, actually. I was born in Immolate Throne but I made the journey out to Tolmtraccileon because I heard about how much these people have been suffering. Actually, people all across Charcai are suffering. Every region seems to be going crazy, and no one in Immolate Throne knows what to do about it.

I used to live a sheltered life in the capital, where seemingly everything is normal. Too many people were getting comfortable there; they assume that if they don't see the trouble, it must not be worth their time. But I could see it, and I knew that I could not ignore it anymore. Someone needs to help these people; someone needs to help _us_. I have a feeling that if we continue to ignore the plight of our people, the unknown blight will even reach the capital."

 _Your assumption probably is not far off_ , Zelda thought to herself.

"Hey, I am also from Immolate Throne." Zukto spoke up, smiling.

"Well met, Brother…?"

"Zukto. My name is Zukto."

"... Zukto?! Can it really be?! You are the youngest son of Thalian, if I am not mistaken?"

"Yes! Did you work with my Father in the capital?"

"Oh yes, but that was years ago. You were quite a bit younger back then; what a mysterious coincidence it is to meet you here." He had a glint in his eyes.

"I get the feeling that you are using the word 'coincidence' ironically." Zukto laughed. Ethesprit simply grinned in response.

"Speaking of your father, Zukto, how is he? And Fair Lanai? I have not seen any of you in such a long time… your older brother, too."

"My Mother and Father are doing well. I actually saw them myself not too long ago." As Zukto answered, Zelda reminded herself to keep quiet about his parents. She was trying to guess just based on how he spoke about them… he did not seem particularly upset or somber when mentioning them. Did he already know, or were his parents unable to bring it up before the group left them?

"Ah yes, you're old enough now to participate in the Senate. How was your first time?"

"I actually have yet to serve a term with the Senate: I have been away from home for more than 8 years. This is my first time back ever since I left." Zukto explained.

"Perhaps it is better for you that you have been away for a while… Immolate Throne is safe, too safe. There might even be a reason why it is so peaceful there still… think about it: something or someone is causing destruction and mayhem all across Charcai and all of it is happening at the same time. And yet Immolate Throne alone stands against whatever force is at work across the world? No. That makes no sense.

What would make sense, however, is that whatever is causing all of the trouble across our lands… it must consider Immolate Throne its headquarters so to speak. And the wealthiest people in Charcai live there… what if it is already at work, corrupting them? If I had to guess, the capital will soon become inaccessible to anyone from the outside. The people living there will claim that anything 'outside the city' is too dangerous, and they will prevent people from coming and going."

"They're… they're just going to abandon everyone like that?! Why is no one coming out here to put a stop to it?!" Zukto fumed.

"Well… at first I felt the same way as you Zukto: I was outraged. But as I have witnessed life for myself out here these past few years, I have come to the realization that very few people actually have the power or capability to do anything of significance. What I mean to say is that most of us are powerless. But… seeing you and your friends here, well, I kinda feel hopeful for the first time in a long time. Maybe this is finally our time to fight back."

"Do we really inspire that much hope? Our group of misfits?" Zelda smiled wryly.

Link, though he was unable to join the conversation due to his language barrier, had listened to the entire exchange intently thanks to the ring that Ricando had given him. He looked down at his left hand, the hand that glowed with the power of the Goddesses.

 _I still don't know if I can call myself a hero, but… if I have the power to change the fate of these people for the better… I have to try, right? That's what this symbol on my hand means, right? I have to face all of my fears, my doubts, anything that would try to dissuade me from doing what's right. After all, why would the Goddesses mark me with this symbol if they expected me to run from this responsibility? The Goddesses have never chosen a false hero before, right? Can I trust that I was chosen for a reason? Can I trust that my power will be enough to stem the coming darkness? Well, I suppose that it would be hopeless for me if I was by myself. But thank the Gods that I have them by my side. Together… we can change the world for the better, right?_

"By the way, I realize that I do not know anyone's name except Zukto's." Ethesprit looked sheepish all of a sudden.

"My name is Zelda. The blonde man who has yet to say anything is named Link. Unfortunately, he has been quiet for a reason: he cannot speak Charcaian."

"Ah, I should have figured. But he has you two here, and I assume all of you can understand each other just fine."

"Yes, we all speak a common language. By the way, this is my younger sister Azera. She too can speak your tongue; I am surprised she has been so quiet, though."

"You two were handling the conversation so well, I saw no need to interrupt you. And anyway, I really needed to rest after we ran through that storm. That wasn't easy, you know!" Azera looked indignant.

"Y-yes, we had not anticipated that. Are we close, Ethesprit?"

"Nearly there. See that building with the tall, wooden flower out front that got buried with snow? That's the inn-I have a room there permanently. I said I lived here earlier, but as Zukto knows I formerly lived in the capital. I was traveling from place to place for a while, but I decided to 'settle' here once I saw how bad things were. I visited Samekh a while back, and everything actually seemed fairly normal there. I was surprised, but that's what made me decide to settle in Tolmtraccileon. I could see that the people of Samekh really didn't need much help."

 _And after we went through there, I certainly hope they do not need help_ , Zelda thought to herself. All of a sudden, when she made to take another step the ground seemed to be much closer to her than she anticipated. She stumbled, but was able to save her balance before she fell over.

 _Sister, are you okay?_ Azera projected this thought to Zelda's mind. She furrowed her brow.

 _I am fine. I just need some time to rest._ Zelda hurriedly responded, not wanting Azera to blow anything out of proportion. But even though she did not want to explicitly admit it to anyone, she knew that something was wrong. Her idea was to get a room to herself when they worked out something with the innkeeper so she could lie down in silence…

 _Sister says she is fine, but I don't believe her for a second. Her face is pale, her breathing is a bit more labored than normal, and I suspect she may have a fever. I know she does not want to admit it, but she needs to rest and have someone take care of her. And of course, I will not allow anyone to nurse her back to health except me._ Azera was determined to get her stubborn sister to cooperate for once. Hopefully they had time to allow her to rest: based on what Zelda told her of their journey thus far, it really seemed like they barely had time to recuperate between their missions.


	29. The Wise Old Man and the Missing Relics

Ethesprit led everyone into the inn; the innkeeper was understandably surprised to see so many people suddenly standing in the entryway. They looked fairly wet, no doubt because of the awful snowstorms that were now commonplace.

"Welcome! Welcome! How many rooms would you like? Ethesprit, are these people friends of yours?"

"Yeah, they are. I'll cover their stay, okay?"

"Ethesprit, that is way too much! How can we accept?!" Azera gasped.

"Look, if you are going to help us then this is the least I can do. After all, what I am asking you to do is much more difficult than paying for a few rooms." Ethesprit grinned.

"We need 3 rooms if each room only has two beds in it." Zukto thought as he considered their group.

"Nah, you only need two rooms. My room has an unused bed in it: one of you can use that one."

"Ethesprit, we really appreciate your help." Zelda nodded at him.

"Well for now, you want to relax a bit right? You probably want to warm up, freshen up, get something to eat? Let's see if we can't take care of all of that. You need help around here, Talika?" Ethesprit addressed his final question the woman who greeted them at the door.

"What does everyone want to eat?" Talika asked.

"Warm soup sounds lovely." Azera casually remarked, mostly thinking about Zelda when she suggested it.

"Yes, that is a good idea Azera." Zukto agreed.

"Ethesprit, do you mind grabbing some ingredients for me after you show them where they can stay? I'll be in the kitchen." Talika disappeared down a hallway.

"Yes, let's get your rooms picked out. Who wants to stay with me? Zukto?" Ethesprit figured Zukto would feel more comfortable with him since their families knew each other.

"Sure. So Link and Ricando will be together, and Azera and Zelda will be together. Is this agreeable?"

"Yes, those arrangements are fine. Come on, Sister. You are tired, right?" Azera prodded Zelda into one of the rooms that was adjacent to Ethesprit's.

"Remember: knock before you enter!" Azera declared sternly at the group before she shut the door to their room.

"She sure is lively all of a sudden." Link observed.

"Anyway, we probably should use this time to wash and dry out our clothes." Zukto remarked, switching back to Hylian for Link's sake.

"Heh, well I can handle the drying out part just fine. Remember that I have this?" Link held up the ring he showed them back in the Well of Three Features.

"Oh, right. I totally forgot about that thing. We will have to help Zelda and Azera later, probably."

"With her powers, I doubt she needs to rely on a small relic like this." Link pointed out.

"Point taken. At any rate, don't worry about bothering us. Just invite yourself in if you need something." Zukto explained.

"Will do. Come get us if food is ready."

Everyone else went their separate ways.

When it was just Azera and Zelda alone in the room, Azera attentively watched Zelda as her older sister slowly pulled off all of her wet clothes.

"Sister, you need to rest."

"What do you think I am doing? I do not want to rest in these soaked-through clothes, you know." Zelda calmly responded, trying not to let on about how horrible she felt.

"Okay, take off those clothes and get into the bath." Azera ordered.

"Wh-what? How is getting in the bath resting?" Zelda stopped what she was doing to glance over at her younger sister.

"You are sick, and being wet and chilled is really not a good idea for you in this condition. We need to clean you up, then you can rest."

"S-Sick? Wh-what in Din's name are you going on about…?" Zelda stammered, averting her eyes.

Azera marched right over to Zelda and held the back of her hand up to Zelda's forehead. As she suspected, Zelda had a fever.

"You can't lie to me, Sister. You have a fever. Were you just going to pretend that you felt okay? You never said anything to anyone. Is this related to you stumbling all over the place earlier?"

"Th-that was just the snow. And I already knew that I needed some rest; there was no reason to tell anyone that I felt bad when I knew that we were going to find a town."

"While we are here, no getting any funny ideas okay? No running around, no adventuring, no getting into trouble: rest." Azera lectured. Zelda grimaced; how was Azera just as overbearing as Father?

Azera quickly drew water for a bath and used her powers to heat it up.

"Come, get in: you'll like this."

Zelda knew that the sooner she got this over with the sooner she could lie down, so she cooperated. When Azera saw that Zelda was comfortable in the tub, she gathered up all of her sister's clothes and set to work cleaning and drying them.

"Do not say anything to anyone else, okay?" Zelda called from the tub.

"Why not?" Azera furrowed her brow.

"Zukto blows absolutely everything out of proportion. If he knew I was sick…"

"He just worries about you since you never seem to."

"H-hey now, that is…"

"Does the truth bother you that much? You're the only one to blame here, you know."

"It would just be easier for everyone if you keep quiet about it. Please, for me?" Zelda sighed.

"Okay, for now I guess I will keep quiet. But if you get worse… all bets could be off." Azera warned.

"Understood, and thank you sister."

"Just be sure to take it easy, and maybe you'll avoid drawing attention to yourself."

"Hey there! Need my help with anything?" Nari suddenly appeared in the room.

"Oh, Nari, you left Zukto?" Zelda asked.

"Would you want to hang around them while they are stripping down?" Nari teased.

"N-Nari!" Zelda exclaimed.

"What are you so embarrassed about, hm? Were you just imagining something? My my, what an incorrigible princess." Nari was grinning wickedly.

"I-I am not embarrassed about anything! You just show up out of nowhere and-"

"Nari, actually, this is good timing. I was thinking that I should go see if they need any more help out there. Mind staying with Zelda for now? She's sick, and I don't trust her to be on her own right now."

"You're sick, Zelda?" Nari looked surprised, but she hurried over to Zelda to assess the Princess' condition for herself.

"Ah, yes, tsk tsk. You pushed yourself too hard. Alright, I'll stay here Azera. What are you going to help them with exactly?"

"Prepping the food. Zelda needs to eat, so if I can help them make the food faster then I would rather help them out as opposed to sitting around here."

"Alright, I guess we'll see you in a bit?"

Azera shut the door behind her and focused her hearing on the room where she knew Zukto was: she was trying to figure out if Ethesprit was still in the room. After about a minute of listening, she heard someone say "I'll be back in a bit," so she stood by the door to her room and waited to see who would leave the room. Happily for her, Ethesprit himself was the one who appeared from the room.

"Talika asked for your help, right? Do you want me to tag along?" Azera offered.

"Ah, s-sure. You are Azera, right? You don't want to rest?" Ethesprit looked surprised to be approached by the young woman.

"By the way, um, Azera, I mean no disrespect but… you were wandering around outside wearing… _that_?" She looked beautiful in her red dress that looked way more expensive than anything any of the locals would wear, but why in Charcai's name was she traveling in the snow wearing something so impractical? It offered no protection from the cold and wet snow, and it was so long that it would be dragged through the snow as she walked.

"Oh, are you worried about me? That's so nice of you. But you need not be concerned for me: this weather really does not bother me. Anyway, where to?" Azera smiled.

"Your group… you are really something else. How did Zukto meet all of you, anyway? Follow me."

"Zukto received an order from someone to find my sister because there was trouble in our Kingdom."

"Your Kingdom? Oh right, Zukto said he was away from home for a while. But none of you are from Charcai…? Just how far away did Zukto travel?"

"I am not sure where our worlds exist in relation to one another… but I can assure you that simply walking from your world to our world is not possible. You need help if you want to travel between our worlds."

"And yet Zukto found your world? Who would have helped him?" Ethesprit raised an eyebrow.

"I do not actually know the details of how he found himself in our world: I did not meet him right away when he arrived. I think I was not yet born when he first arrived." Azera giggled at that slightly. Ethesprit raised an eyebrow.

"I believe that Zukto said he was gone for about eight years? You weren't born when he arrived? So you are trying to tell me that you are only eight years old? Do all of your people age so quickly?" He was quite perplexed to have a conversation with someone who looked like a young adult but claimed that they were still a child.

"Yeah, you could say something like that." Azera giggled nervously this time, remembering that ordinary people would find her story to be quite strange.

"If you are something around eight years old, how old is your sister? The one with dark hair said you two were sisters if I remember correctly."

"My sister is twenty years old."

"Your world must be a strange one for a young one such as yourself to look close in age to an adult."

"Anyway, we all are traveling together on a mission to help our homeworld… but it turns out that to help our homeworld, we also have to journey to other worlds and help them too: we're all connected, after all. So that's why we're in Charcai now." Azera was trying to keep the conversation away from her age, so she did not respond further to his observation.

"Well, I have to say that I always did wonder, you know… if there were others out there… living somewhere we couldn't see… it is so fascinating to speak to someone from a far away land. What is your home called?"

"We hail from the Kingdom of Hyrule, and the land itself is also called Hyrule."

"Hyrule… so Zukto met all of you in Hyrule?"

"Yes. My sister and a few other people journeyed with Zukto around Hyrule for a little bit, but then they found out that they needed to come to Charcai. I followed after them without telling them." Azera looked sheepish.

"You just followed after them?" Ethesprit looked amazed.

"Well, yes, because I did not want to wait around for my sister to come back! I wanted to see with my own eyes that she would be okay… so here I am!"

"You're an amazing child, Azera. Do you know any fear?"

"Why should I be afraid? I am with my sister." Azera smiled simply.

"Your sister must be really important to you if you decided to come to this strange world solely to be with her."

"I love my sister more than anyone else; of course I would come out here to be with her. And besides, they really need all the help they can get."

"What exactly is it that you're doing…?"

Azera paused, trying to think of an answer that was vague enough but also at least partially truthful.

"There is a man who is doing bad things in our Kingdom, and apparently he comes from Charcai. My sister and everyone else, we're trying to stop him."

"Wh-what?! Someone from Charcai went to your world… and is causing trouble? Who is it?"

"... Zukto's brother." Azera muttered quietly.

"Wait a second… you said Zukto's brother?! You mean Thalian's oldest son, Kkladekk?"

"It would seem that way."

"What in Charcai's name is going on here? I had no idea…" Ethesprit looked overwhelmed.

"I don't really understand everything, either. Like I mentioned before, Zukto and the others have been journeying for a while before I came along. They've seen and heard a lot, and over time they've been able to piece together information from many different sources. Those pieces led us here, to Tolmtraccileon."

"Is… is Kkladekk here?"

"We don't know for sure, but people who work for Kkladekk are definitely out there."

"H-how many people are with him?"

"I don't really know the answer to that question either, I'm afraid."

"... Okay, well, consider me an ally. I am a close friend of Thalian Brier, and if his youngest son has been fighting to try to protect our worlds then I don't see how I can sit idly by."

"We already appreciate the help, trust me." Azera smiled sincerely.

"Well, h-here we are." Ethesprit stopped at a small, shed-like building. He opened the door and motioned for Azera to enter first. He followed behind her and shut the door.

Azera was not sure what to expect since she still did not have a good idea of how different life in Charcai was compared to Hyrule. Once she was inside, she marveled at all of the different plants growing; many of them were supported by trellises.

Ethesprit directed Azera's attention to a few different plants and explained to her how to harvest them and what to look for. Azera quickly got to work filling a small basket with food, but a thought quickly came to mind as she was working.

 _Wait, this is not the only food they have right? How can they feed us and themselves, especially if we have to stay here for a while?_ Azera frowned to herself but did not say anything. She wanted to come up with a solution for this problem on her own, so she did not want to draw attention to it or make Ethesprit suspicious of her.

 _I wonder… could my magic help? I will try to sneak out here tonight when everyone else is sleeping._

As soon as Ethesprit and Azera finished their errand, they returned to the inn to deliver the food. Azera had every intention of helping their host prepare the meal, and Ethesprit decided to stay and help as well when he realized that Azera was not going to rest like everyone else.

 _This girl… she is so incredible. I have never met anyone like her. They were traveling through Charcai on their own, and she is not acting or looking the least bit tired. Nothing is slowing her down._ Ethesprit marveled as he watched Azera quickly skin some potatoes.

He did not realize it, but Azera was covertly using her magic to help her skin the vegetables since she had never handled a knife on her own before. She was concentrating very carefully, hopeful that her two partners would not realize that she was using her magic and that she was quite inexperienced with all kitchen-related activities.

Happily for Azera, no one ever questioned her capabilities in the kitchen. Talika was glad to have the help, and always gave Azera clear instructions for what she wanted help with.

 _I… I think this is kind of fun…! Has, has Sister ever cooked with our friends like this? We should all cook together! Maybe I will ask them about it when we can finally go back home… would be very easy to cook as a group, even with how large our group is, in the kitchen back home._

"You look pretty happy about something, Azera." Ethesprit remarked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"A-ah, yeah, I was just thinking that Sister will love what we're making. And I'm gonna tell her that I helped." Azera blushed a bit.

"You're a really good sister, Azera. Your parents must be so proud of you."

"O-oh, I certainly do not wish to disappoint them. But I think… it would hurt more if I ever disappointed my sister." Azera muttered, mostly just to herself.

Ethesprit raised his eyebrows, not really sure how to respond to what he thought he heard Azera say. There was definitely something unusual about the two sisters from Hyrule, but he did not feel it was his place to pry. At least not yet, not when they were still relatively strangers to one another.

As soon as the trio finished cooking everything, Azera wasted no time in dishing up enough food for Zelda and darting away. Talika was busy serving up food for the men of the group, so she was oblivious to the fact that Azera did not serve up food for herself. Ethesprit, however, noticed this right away and quickly grew concerned.

 _Wait, Azera is not going to eat? Or… maybe I am just worrying about nothing. She will just come back after she knows her sister is taken care of, right?_

Azera looked over at her older sister who was finally sleeping after finishing the food Azera prepared for her. The room was quiet, but Azera could hear Zelda's steady breathing. This was a relief for her because she knew that Zelda needed to rest, and Zelda had a habit of pretending to sleep so as to not worry anyone.

 _She can fool Zukto and the others, but she can't fool me._ Azera thought to herself, smiling slightly at her sister.

"Shouldn't you be getting some rest too?" A voice quietly announced its presence.

"Hey Nari. I do not need to rest like they do. I was thinking of checking something out in the meantime." Azera spoke in hushed tones in response, not wanting to wake Zelda.

"Checking something out?! Azera, what is so important that it can't wait until morning when we can all check it out together?" Nari raised an eyebrow as her body appeared beside Azera.

"I promise that I will be safe. I have no intention of getting into a fight by myself. If it will help ease your worries, I swear to you that I will not leave the village by myself. There is something I really want to do, okay? Please stay with Zelda?"

"I had no intention of leaving anyway, but just be careful okay? If you get yourself into trouble, Zelda will be absolutely livid with me for letting you wander off."

"You have nothing to worry about. Just make sure that no one bothers my sister, not even Zukto. Especially Zukto. Zelda says she doesn't want Zukto to know that she fell ill."

"I honestly have no idea how she is gonna keep this a secret from everyone." Nari sighed, shaking her head.

"Zelda can always use her powers to hide herself, that way it would make it seem like she is not spending all of her time in this room." Azera offered.

"She might be too unwell to focus on something like that, but maybe Wrath can help us. Anyway, hurry up and go. You probably should come back before Zelda wakes up."

"I shouldn't be too long! Thank you Nari." With that, Azera excused herself. When she left Zelda's room, she did not see or hear anything unusual.

Believing that she was in the clear, Azera hurried over to the small greenhouse that Ethesprit showed her earlier. After shutting the door behind her, she stood in place and carefully examined the plants taking up residence in the enclosure.

Unbeknownst to Azera, Ethesprit heard one of the doors adjacent to his room open and close. He quietly left his room, not wanting to disturb Zukto, but did not see anyone wandering the halls. He had no way of knowing who left their room, but he was worried since it was late. He decided to wait for them to come back, but he made sure to wait in a spot where he was not immediately visible from the front door. He wanted to catch whomever was sneaking around after dark by surprise.

Azera attentively looked over the various plants and herbs, thinking to herself.

 _Plants are the embodiment of life, and Goddess Farore grants life. I wonder... can I channel Farore's power and speed up a plant's growth cycle? If they grow more, they can produce more food right?_

Azera stood in front of a potato plant and reached out to it. She focused on releasing some of her magic, and within moments a soft, glowing light emanated from her hand. The plant began to glow as the sprouts peeking out of the ground grew several inches instantaneously.

"Oh! It worked!" Azera gleefully watched as a few other plants also grew rapidly before her eyes. She knew that she had to be subtle about this, though, lest she draw attention to the fact that she was the one influencing the plants to grow abnormally.

 _I know that Sister would understand if I explained it to her; but I am not really worried about my sister. What about Ethesprit? Would he be able to understand? I get the feeling that the inn owner, Talika, would be the one least able to understand my powers. Might be better to avoid the subject entirely, then… if I only speed up their growth a little at a time, I bet no one will even notice._ Azera was feeling pretty pleased with herself, and decided to return to the greenhouses every night to help them grow more. If she did this, she hoped, there would not be an issue of food being in short supply.

Azera was feeling so pleased with herself for helping out that when she returned back to the Inn, she did not immediately notice that Ethesprit was waiting in the dimly-lit reception area. He quickly stood up after she shut the door of the Inn behind herself, looking at her expectantly.

"What in Charcai's name are you doing out at this time by yourself?" Ethesprit scolded.

"Wh-wha-oh my, Ethesprit, you surprised me. I didn't notice you there." Azera laughed nervously.

"Hey now, don't avoid the question."

"I just went for a little walk, is all. I needed some fresh air."

"Azera, you are still a child and it is dangerous out there! I cannot allow you to wander around at night!" Ethesprit's voice was firm.

"I-I am not a child! I can take care of myself." Azera responded indignantly.

"No lady, no matter how old she is, should be wandering around late at night by herself. It is dark, cold, dangerous, and not to mention that you do not know this area very well."

"Ethesprit, I can assure you that I will not get lost." Azera looked away from him, feeling annoyed now that she had no idea how to explain to their new friend that she was not an ordinary child and indeed, not even an ordinary person.

"... You really will not budge on this, will you? You do not seem to be even the least bit concerned about any of this. Can you… can you at least agree to ask me to accompany you when you leave at night?" Ethesprit sighed.

 _No! No, I cannot agree to this! This will interfere with my plan! Is there anyway I can get out of this…? Or… hm… my sister would never give up in a situation like this. She would just do something really tricky. I need to think like her: what would she do…?_

"You know, your silence on the matter is not exactly reassuring." Ethesprit frowned.

"O-okay, Ethesprit, I understand. You are worried about me. If I want to go out again, I will ask you to come along." Azera nodded, still trying to figure out her strategy going forward in regards to using her magic to grow the plants faster. Maybe she would just have to distract him, maybe with a story or something from her homeland…

"Well, if you understand then I'm happy. The last thing we want is something to happen to you, you know. Especially your sister: do you really want to worry her?"

"I was hoping I would get back to the room before she noticed; may I take my leave for now? I shall see you in the morning, Ethesprit." Azera curtsied briefly before turning away from Ethesprit. Ethesprit had never seen a curtsy before, and was puzzled at the display. Was that how people from her homeland said goodbye to each other? He was not sure what her gesture meant, so he found himself unsure of how to respond. He just stood there quietly, watching her as she returned to her room.

 _Two worlds… their world has people that kind of look like us, but then again it is quite hard to miss their strange ears… their accents… their culture must be quite different… and yet, so many of them seem to already know the tongue of my people._

 _How can Azera speak it so proficiently if she has never been here before? Clearly, Zukto could not have taught it to her if she did not meet him until recently as she claims. How else could she have learned it? And how does the older sister know it for that matter?_

 _And how is Azera so intelligent, so self-sufficient, for one so young? It doesn't make sense to me… is there something going on here which I don't see? What if… what if my theory is true, and it actually influences more of the world than I first suspected? What if Azera herself proves that the Unseen really does act on this world? I must watch her as much as I can… I must know the truth._

Ethesprit took his time getting back to his room. He was slightly curious as to whether Azera would actually stay inside for the rest of the night, or if she was simply going to wait until a bit later when she thought that everyone else would surely be asleep before sneaking out again.

Azera quietly slipped back into the room she was sharing with Zelda. Nari's form appeared in the center of the room, the Gerudo woman looking expectantly at the young princess.

"Azera, your dress is soaked at the bottom." Nari observed.

"Y-yeah, all of this snow really is a pain." Azera muttered nervously, wondering if Nari was going to get overprotective like Ethesprit did.

"You know… Ethesprit, he has a point. You don't know this area very well. I really think you wandering around on your own late at night is a horrible idea. What is with you and Zelda, anyway? Always running off on your own. When you do that, you are increasing your chances of getting hurt, or Gods forbid something even worse."

"My sister is strong! No one can stop her! I might not be as strong as her yet, but I am getting stronger all the time. The Goddesses' power grows within me: I can feel it. I do not think anyone needs to worry about me."

"Azera… what if a member of Darkness Orb spirits you away in the middle of the night? How would we be able to find you? You would have no idea where they might take you, what they might do to you. If that happened… Zelda really would not be able to contain her grief. You know that, right? If no other reason would persuade you, you should at least be cautious for Zelda's sake." Nari pointed out.

"Y-yes… I can see that your point has some merit. But I was true to my word: I did not leave the town."

"Whatever you wanted to see or do… from now on, can you promise to never go by yourself? Ethesprit may not have powers to defend you, but he knows these lands. Having him around really might not be such a bad idea. Hell, you might have even been able to persuade Wrath to go with you if you really had to go outside so badly for whatever reason."

"And why would you be volunteering me to get involved with this?" Wrath asked as he suddenly appeared in the center of the room right next to Nari. He crossed his arms, his red, glowing eyes fixated on his Gerudo counterpart.

"If I am here watching over Zelda, I hardly see why you need to camp out in here too."

"Princess Zelda is not well right now… it does not feel right to leave her side."

"Oh-ho, so you do care about our trouble-making princess after all." Nari smirked.

"I do not feel a need to constantly announce that fact to people, but yes. At any rate, I must admit that I join you in having concerns about either of the princesses separating themselves from the group.

In Hyrule, the story is very different. After all, Zelda has traveled to almost every major region of the Kingdom and no matter where you go, you will find someone who shares a language with you. But here, everything is strange. We must be careful… especially considering that someone or something could still be out there looking for us."

"Okay, I think we made poor Azera feel guilty enough about it. We're not mad at you, Azera, just… everyone wants you to be safe. And things are so unclear right now… it means we have to be extra cautious right now."

"Thank you, both of you, for looking over Sister and the others… I know that you helped them a lot. I can tell, even without knowing all the hardships you encountered, and I know you just want to extend the same consideration to me." Azera felt so grateful to be among people who genuinely wanted to look out for one another.

"We do not need thanks, but just make sure to avoid doing stuff that is going to needlessly worry your sister. That will certainly make our jobs easier. Now then… perhaps you should rest a bit." Nari suggested.

"Y-yeah, I guess there is no harm in that."

"You can call us if you need anything." With that, both Nari and Wrath disappeared from the room, leaving just Azera standing by herself. Before moving, she focused her hearing on Zelda: Zelda still seemed to be sleeping.

 _Oh good, we did not wake her. She really must have been tired._ Azera was relieved to know that Zelda was getting some rest, so she quickly dried out her clothes using her magic and then retreated to the empty bed in the room. She did not need to sleep, but she thought that it might be comfortable to lay down for a bit. Azera closed her eyes and entered a meditative state.

Zelda suddenly realized that she was standing alone in a nondescript room. She could not perceive of any of her surroundings for some reason. She puzzled at this for a few moments, but the sound of quiet dripping caught her attention. She took some steps around the space she was in, but could not see anything unusual: still, the sound persisted. No matter where she turned, nothing changed or became clear to her. She took another step, but instead of the sound of her footsteps sounding like they were echoing off a hard surface the sound suddenly took on a wet quality. The squishing sound puzzled her, as she had not seen anything to indicate that she was near the source of the dripping, but she looked down. Zelda gasped when she caught sight of the blood that she was now stepping in.

 _Where is this coming from?!_ Zelda looked around frantically. The room was still blank, save for the growing pool of blood beneath her feet. In her panic, Zelda caught sight of something on her hands: when her vision focused on them, she screamed at the sight of the blood that was covering them. She looked back to where she thought she had come from, and saw drops of blood that served as a trail marker. The dripping was coming from her.

Zelda's eyes flew open in a panic. Her breathing was labored, and her heart thudded against her ribcage. Instinctually, her eyes flew down to her hands. She checked them over and could not see anything out of the ordinary, so she slowly exhaled to try and calm herself down.

 _That dream… that was not the usual one. What could have brought that about?_

Zelda just stared up at the ceiling, feeling physically and mentally drained. She slowly touched her hand to her face, trying to discern if she still had a fever. Unfortunately she confirmed that yes, the fever was still there. Zelda sighed, feeling simultaneously tired but also not able to rest as she was so accustomed to feeling. Her limbs felt heavy. Lying in bed in total silence, she realized that she could hear a dripping noise. It was slight, and seemed far away, but she focused for several minutes and heard it methodically splash against something just to ensure that she was not imagining it.

 _So the dripping sound from my dream, it was actually coming from outside all along. But still, that does not explain…_ Zelda was slightly worried about all of the blood she saw. Her parents were nowhere to be seen in the dream, and in her previous dreams of her parents she had never seen blood on herself.

 _I just… need to be careful, right? I am on edge right now… I feel out of sorts being here in this strange land. When we were in Firean… we actually did not spend that much time there, now that I think about it. But we have already been in Charcai for… why, it must already be more than a week's time according to the local time. But does time pass the same here in Charcai as it does in Hyrule? That, I am unsure of. And the evil magic that pervades this land… I am indeed sensitive to it. Firean had, when we arrived, not yet succumbed to such dark powers… that must be why I feel so terrible right now. But we have no choice… we must stay here a while yet. We have important business to attend to, after all… but my Gods, I feel so exhausted…_ Zelda's eyes felt really heavy, and it did not take long for her to give in to her body's desire to sleep once again.

Since Azera did not need to sleep like everyone else, she came out of her meditative state quite early in the morning. Seeing that it was much lighter outside, she quickly glanced over at Zelda. Somehow, to her amazement, she noted that Zelda was still asleep.

 _Maybe this is her body's way of forcing her to get the rest she has not been able to get. At any rate, I feel better knowing that she is, in a weird way, benefitting from being unwell. But still, I need to figure out how we'll keep Zukto from figuring out the truth. Surely he'll notice that she has not left this room ever since I escorted her here? Hopefully we can figure out something for him to do, something that will distract him for a while…_ Azera puzzled over her current predicament quietly, albeit briefly. She remembered that, since it was morning, they would need to make breakfast. Once again, she intended to help Talika in the kitchen if for no other reason than to do anything in her power to help her sister get better.

Wanting to get a head start, Azera quietly excused herself from the room she shared with her sister. Nari appeared as soon as Azera closed the door, shaking her head slightly.

"You know… it kind of strikes me as a huge shame that I never knew who the Princess was back in our time." Nari commented out loud, at first seemingly to no one. Wrath quickly appeared beside her, however.

"If you mean to say that you would have liked to make friends with the Princess back then… well, I cannot say one way or the other what she was like. But these two… I truly believe these two to be special. They are cut from a different cloth than most… so maybe it is better that you never knew the Princess from our time. It would not be fair to that Princess to compare her to these two." Wrath looked thoughtful.

"Hmmm, you might make me jealous. You seem to like those two an awful lot." Nari smirked.

"Wrath… Nari… you there…?" Zelda's voice weakly interrupted their conversation.

"Oh, Zel, you don't sound so good. Poor thing." Nari hurried over to the Princess.

"Is… Is Azera here…?" Zelda tried to prop herself up on her elbows so she could see the room better, but she could feel her arms buckling a bit.

"You really are not well. Do not get up." Wrath ordered sternly.

"Your sister left to help prepare a morning meal. Are you hungry?" Nari asked.

"That girl… I do not believe she ever cooked before when she lived with Father. How come she is so eager to do it now?"

"It's because she is so worried about you. Honestly, Zel, it is so sweet how much your sister cares for you." Nari beamed.

"Since when am I Zel, anyway?" Zelda cocked her head slightly.

"You said you don't really have any attachment to being the Princess… so I thought maybe you'd like a less formal name to be referred to as. I can't call you Azera, of course, since that's your sister's name. So Zel was what came to mind first." Nari explained.

"Hm… alright. I appreciate it, Nar." Zelda smiled weakly, settling back down into bed.

"Oh! I get a nickname too?!" Nari jumped up excitedly.

"Oh, Zelda, now you've gone and made her excited. We'll never hear the end of it." Wrath teased. Nari turned to look at him and defiantly stuck her tongue out.

"Were you two here with me last night?"

"Of course we were." Nari assured.

"Normally… you stay with Zukto. So why did you stay with me anyway?"

"I was worried about you." Nari quickly explained, trying to avoid any probing questions.

"I am… fine… I just… need to rest a bit." Zelda sighed, hating herself for being so useless at a time when they really needed to act. They were no closer to finding anything than they were when they started traveling to Tolmtraccileon.

"You are absolutely right about that." Wrath agreed firmly.

"Hey… did Zukto come asking about me…?"

"No, actually, things have been quiet around he-" Nari began. Before she could finish talking, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"What's up?" Nari called out. She then felt slightly foolish about this, as she remembered that they were in an area where not everyone understood Hylian. She cringed a bit, hoping whoever knocked could understand her.

"Ah, Nari, so that's where you ran off to. Can I come in? Is Zelda there?" Nari groaned quietly when she realized that Zukto was the one who was speaking on the other side of the door.

Without saying anything, Wrath disappeared. Nari glanced over at the bed where Zelda was resting, and realized with a start that she could not see anyone there.

 _Hm, Wrath seems to be cooperating with the Princess' request to keep Zukto in the dark. I suppose this could be interesting to watch…_

"Sorry Zukto, it's just me~." Nari responded with a false, cheery voice.

Without responding, Zukto hurriedly opened the door. He was disappointed to discover, upon surveying the room, that Nari appeared to be telling the truth. She was standing in the center of the room, completely alone.

"Told you it was just me." Nari shrugged.

"Wrath must be here, too. Why else would you be standing here alone?" Zukto did not seem to be buying her story.

"What do you mean? Wrath surely must be with Zelda. He and I do not spend every minute together, you know." Nari suddenly felt indignant about how Zukto was talking to her.

"You know, I would appreciate it if you would at least try to prevent her from running off." Zukto muttered as he left the room almost as quickly as he came. When the door clicked shut, Wrath and Zelda reappeared.

"I don't like this." Nari sighed.

"Princess, Princess… your pride is really going to cause more problems, you know." Wrath shook his head.

"It will only be for a little while… please bear with me."

Zukto's face tensed up with worry as he wandered away from the rooms they were staying in. He noticed that both Azera and Zelda were not in the room: hopefully they were together, and not far off. Knowing Zelda, she probably left her room early that morning in search of something. But where she would wander off to at such an early hour in unfamiliar territory was not clear to him. If she had Ethesprit in tow, at least that much would have made sense. But Ethesprit was still asleep when Zukto woke up earlier, meaning she was wandering around with no guide.

As Zukto was focusing on his thoughts, he did not immediately notice Azera when she walked passed him.

"Good morning, Zukto." Azera remarked cheerfully.

"Morning Azera…" Zukto muttered, at first too busy to realize who he was talking to.

"Wait a second! Azera!" Zukto stopped and called out to the younger Princess, hoping to catch up with her. Azera quickly turned around, catching his gaze.

"Yes, Zukto?" She was holding a bowl of something.

"... Zelda is not with you." Zukto remarked.

"Of course not; she is in her room right now." Azera responded.

"... So she did wander off, then." Zukto sighed, his frustration evident.

"... Wait a second, what did you just say?" Azera's expression quickly changed.

"I was just there: Zelda was nowhere to be seen. I was hoping that she would have been with you." Zukto sighed again.

"Th-that can't be!" Azera hurried off, concerned about what Zukto just said. As she was hurrying back towards Zelda's room, she realized with a start that perhaps Wrath or Nari had something to do with Zelda's "unexplained disappearance." It seemed likely, since Zelda was adamant about hiding her condition from everyone else, but her realization came a bit too late: Zukto was trailing right behind her. Now how was she going to sneak into Zelda's room to bring her food without Zukto noticing how bad she looked?

Just as Azera was approaching the door and trying to come up with a strategy to distract Zukto, Link appeared in the hallway.

"Ah, Zukto, good morning. Want to join me for breakfast? Azera, you and Zelda will join us when you're ready?"

"Of course we will." Azera responded innocently, smiling at her partner.

"S-sure, yeah, I can come with you." Zukto acquiesced.

After Link and Zukto disappeared back down the hallway, Azera sighed deeply.

 _Thank the Goddesses for Link._

She quietly let herself back into the room and locked it behind her.

"A-Azera?" Zelda stammered.

"Are you hungry? I brought you something." Azera offered the bowl to her sister, who gladly accepted it.

"Zukto came in earlier looking for me."

"Y-yeah, I picked up on that because he told me he couldn't find you. He said you wandered off."

"To him, I suppose it looked like that. Wrath was just hiding me with his magic. I guess Zukto is not really remembering what we are capable of." Zelda chuckled softly.

"We can't keep doing this forever, you know." Wrath pointed out, looking rather stern.

"I-I know. I will not be ill forever."

"What are we going to do going forward? He seemed rather upset. If you keep avoiding him…" Azera pointed out.

"Might I suggest… the truth?" Wrath sounded unamused.

"N-no! That will just make this worse… ugh."

"Zukto is not unreasonable. He just worries about you. If he knew where you were, I think he would not worry so much. How about we tell him that you're feeling under the weather, and will join everyone when you feel better? I think he will understand. He knows how hard you've been pushing yourself, and how little you can sleep. Come on, how bad can it be?" Nari offered.

"I… I know you have a point… I just hate this. I cannot be ill right now. We have so much that we need to do, and yet here I am dragging everyone down." Zelda looked disappointed.

"Hey, no one blames you! It is normal for people to feel unwell every once in a while. Even mother and father…" Azera began.

"Yes… mother's constitution was a little on the frail side. I did not grow up with them, of course, but I noticed it when I moved in with them. But you cannot compare me to her, really. When she got sick, she had an entourage of maids and servants to tend to her. And there was not vital work that would be endangered due to her failing health. I cannot-we cannot-waste time like this…"

"If you get seriously injured or something because you cannot stop to take care of yourself, that is when we will be really in trouble. I think we have to accept this as a warning sign. We need to slow down." Azera firmly said.

"... Okay. I do not want to cause trouble for you guys. Zukto got a little too impatient with you earlier, Nari, and for that I apologize. I accept responsibility for that."

"So, should I go get him?" Nari giggled.

"N-no!" Zelda's face flushed.

"Maybe you would like some peace and quiet. Come on Nari and Wrath." Azera suddenly took her leave, signaling for the others to follow. Nari turned back at Zelda one last time, winked, and then disappeared. Zelda looked around the empty room and sighed heavily.

 _Azera! Where are you going?_ Zelda projected her thoughts to her younger sister in a hurry.

 _Zukto asked us to meet up with him._

 _You are not going to say anything, are you?!_

 _Of course not; you asked me not to. So I leave it to you to explain everything._ Azera's voice sounded too smug. Why was she enjoying this?

Zelda's face was already warm due to her fever, but she felt a different warm sensation creeping up her face as she sat there, trying to plan out how she was going to talk to Zukto. She knew that he would immediately jump on Azera for meeting him without bringing her along. Since she was alone, she took the time to eat the food Azera brought her.

Zelda finished eating, and got herself some water to drink. Part of her was glad to have some alone time, but knowing how Zukto was… he was probably impatient to meet her. Her heart would not slow down no matter how much she tried to calm it down because she kept thinking about meeting his intense gaze. Part of her was almost considering getting up and leaving the room, maybe it really would be better if she ran off somewhere so she did not have to face anyone… but before she could seriously plan anything, her sister's voice interrupted her.

 _He is coming. Brace yourself._

Was that a smirk in her voice? Zelda scoffed.

 _I can do this… I think._

Zelda tried holding her breath to steady her heart rate, but nothing was working. A knock broke the silence, giving Zelda only a few moments of remaining peace before…

"Come in." Zelda requested, trying to hide her nerves. The door opened, revealing Zukto. He sighed as he shut the door behind him, probably partly relieved but Zelda was sure he was exasperated too.

"How long were you going to avoid me? Were you really in the room the whole time?" Zukto ran his hand through his hair, not really making eye contact with Zelda and not really getting any closer to her. She was surprised at his sudden restraint.

"Y-yes: I have not left the room since we arrived yesterday. You have my word."

"I really have no clue what to do with you. Even if I can't see you, I have to keep on guard… you could be literally right in front of me…" Zukto muttered, mostly to himself.

"Zukto… I know you are worried about me. Your penchant for worrying is what made me think that I should hide my current condition from you… I hate making you worry. I do not enjoy this: I want to be well again."

"I want you to be better, too. Look, Zelda, I… I just… sorry if I am bothering you. I think I worry about you so much because it never seems like you worry about yourself. Someone has to be thinking about you."

"I think I should consider myself lucky, then." Zelda smiled lightly. Zukto finally met her gaze, partly in disbelief. Without thinking about it, he closed the gap between them. Zelda calmly held his gaze as he took a seat next to the bed she was sitting in.

"When did you start to feel sick?"

"It was right before the really strong storm blew over us."

"It is not necessarily a shock that you would feel unwell after everything… I am sorry, this whole time… it never seems like we can catch a break."

"Some of it really is out of our control… but I must admit that I bear some responsibility for my current condition. I do not really think that you owe me an apology if this is self-inflicted." Zelda smiled wryly.

"And anyway, I asked the others to help me hide from you. Unfortunately for you, and maybe for others around me, I never grew up thinking that being honest about my feelings was a legitimate response to what was going on around me. I always thought that was a luxury not afforded to me. But… I know that as a team, we have to trust each other. I have to be honest with you. Please accept my apology for the trouble I caused, Zukto. You deserve to know the truth."

"Thanks, Zelda." Zukto gently squeezed her hand, smiling gently.

"Just be careful, okay? That would sure be unfortunate if I got you sick." Zelda chuckled.

"Would you feel sorry for me?" Zukto grinned.

"I already do feel sorry for you, because you have to deal with me all the time. You must be so exhausted." Zelda smiled wryly.

"This isn't so bad." Zukto said quietly. Both of them fell silent, looking at one another intently.

"Zukto, since we are here…" Zelda began. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest in anticipation.

"Y-yeah?"

"I know I… I know I proposed a rather ridiculous request earlier… and I still… I still want to know… why… but even so… the truth is… I feel the same way." Zelda finally admitted, avoiding catching his gaze.

Zukto tried to say something, but his brain stopped telling him how to form words. For a few moments he sat there in stunned silence, his face lit up in absolute disbelief. Noticing that his words were failing him, Zukto just held Zelda's hand against the side of his face. Zelda was caught off guard by his gesture, looking over at him finally as their fingers entwined together.

"Zukto?"

"Zelda… your wish is my command. If you really wish to have an answer, I swear I will find an answer that will satisfy you. In the meantime, please be patient with me. And I will do anything for you. To start… I am guessing you probably… want to keep this just between us?"

"Well, mostly just between us. Unfortunately for me… well, I do not believe for even a minute that I could fool Wrath. Nari and Wrath will surely find out. I have to accept that. But as for the others… yes. I can be honest with you, which is why I told you how I feel. But just thinking about admitting the truth to the others… I do not think I have the strength for that yet." Zelda sighed.

"What about your sister?"

"I do not think she really understands any of this stuff. I mean, if I have to be perfectly honest I do not quite understand it myself…"

"What do you mean?"

"It just… it makes no sense to me. Why is it that when we are alone, my heart beats so loudly I think you can hear it? Why is it so hard to look you in the eyes? I get so frustrated because one minute I can talk to you without any problem but the next moment it feels like every word, every touch, feels so charged with a strange energy. Why does it feel so comforting to be embraced by you? None of this makes any sense to me."

"Does it have to make sense?" Zukto asked quietly.

"Maybe you can help me understand." Zelda suggested.

"I… well, I can try. If that's what you want. What should we start with?"

"I really should rest. But if you want… you can stay with me… until I fall asleep." Zelda gently ran her hand up and down the side of Zukto's face before retracting it and settling in under the covers.

Zukto and Zelda stared at each other wordlessly for a few moments, allowing themselves time to process what was said. Finally, Zukto started whistling a familiar tune.

"Zukto…?"

"I know this song has brought about some bad memories. But I think it would be a shame to hate this song. This song is supposed to bring comfort to you. If I could help you like it even just a little more… I think that would be good. May I?"

"Yes, you may continue."

Zelda slowly drifted off to sleep listening to Zukto whistle Zelda's Lullaby.

 _Not doing anything is not really that bad… especially if we can be together._

Zukto did not want to leave Zelda alone, but he eventually pulled himself away to catch up with everyone else. If he stayed there with her any longer, he figured he would never hear the end of it.

Zukto first ran into Talika, the innkeeper.

"Miss Talika, did you happen to catch where everyone else headed off to?" Zukto asked.

"I think Ethesprit was showing everyone around the town. It is hard to get lost out there; you might as well go catch up with them." She suggested.

"I think I will. Thanks."

Zukto only wandered around alone for a few minutes until he heard familiar voices. Following the voices, he easily caught up to the rest of his group. As he approached his friends, some of the locals looked at him funny.

Ethesprit looked over, catching sight of Zukto.

"Ah Zukto, there you are. I was wondering when you'd find us."

"I see you came here alone. I thought for sure you would bring Zelda with you." Nari teased. Zukto did not justify her comment with a response, trying his best not to give them too much information.

"He wouldn't do that! Sister feels unwell right now. It is a good thing you let her rest." Azera remarked, nodding with approval at Zukto.

"Like Azera said, she needs to rest. The more she gets to rest, the better she will feel. For all our sakes, we need Zelda to recover as quickly as possible."

"You took it easy on her, right? You sure looked in a mood when you stormed off to go talk to her." Nari was still on the offensive, looking absolutely devilish. Zukto was determined to beat her at her own game.

"Don't worry Nari, I wouldn't do anything to her that you wouldn't do to someone else in a similar situation." Zukto grinned, returning her quip. Nari audibly gasped, turning a deep shade of red as she hurriedly turned away from Zukto. Wrath began to chuckle. At first, he tried to stifle it. As the moments dragged on though, the humor of the situation was too much for him. His chuckling turned into full-blown, gleeful laughter.

Zukto looked beyond pleased with himself. Ethesprit and everyone else was confused about what was going on. Ethesprit's confusion was of course because he could not understand what his Hylian-speaking friends were saying.

"Zukto… Zukto my boy… I do not believe I have ever seen Nari get so embarrassed so quickly. That was impressive." Wrath finally said as he calmed down a bit. He was still grinning widely, his red eyes flashing in a playful way.

"I… I hate you! By the Gods, that was so horrible!" Nari whined, trying to avoid making eye contact. Wrath, chuckling a bit, pulled the petite Gerudo woman over next to him, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I have no idea what's going on… but are you two seeing each other?" Link looked surprised at Wrath and Nari.

"We have been for quite some time, actually. Long before we joined up with Zukto and Zelda." Wrath explained simply.

"Zukto, what did you mean by 'I wouldn't do anything to her that you wouldn't do to someone else in a similar situation?'" Azera repeated, looking puzzled.

"I only said that because Nari was being ruthless with her teasing. So I decided to tease her back. I am guilty of nothing, but based on Nari's reaction she may be slightly guilty." Zukto grinned.

"I will remember that, Zukto. You better watch yourself." Nari looked absolutely beside herself.

"Nari, I think you better watch out. Zukto is only following your example, you know." Wrath pointed out.

"Oh by the Goddesses… so you're saying I'm training him to be better than me?!"

"It sure looks like it's shaping up that way." Wrath chuckled.

"So anyway, what we were doing before I interrupted?" Zukto asked, switching back to Charcaian so Ethesprit could understand him.

"I was explaining what life was like here, back before everything went crazy. This place, it looks nothing like it used to. It's a huge shame, you know… this region was an important bread basket for the entire country. On top of that, they grew an incredibly rare species of flower. There used to be a really famous festival here celebrating the time when the first crop of the year matured."

As Ethesprit talked, Azera launched into a real-time translation for Nari and Wrath.

"They still can grow the flower, right? I saw those small buildings spread out among the town. Those are facilities for growing plants and protecting them from the elements, right?" Zukto asked.

"Yeah, they still grow the Summerfell flower. But not nearly as many as they used to. There used to be a giant field of them. Now, only a small handful are grown at any one time. They have to save their resources to grow food for themselves… it's really such a shame. People all over Charcai loved the Summerfell flowers. Why, in Immolate Throne the flowers were a popular gift for lovers to give to each other."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. During certain times of the year, you had to act fast to get some before every vendor sold out of them. Everyone wanted them." Zukto remarked.

"Did you ever buy any Summerfells for a special someone?" Ethesprit asked.

"Me? No. I never really had a 'special someone.' My father got some for my mom, though. They always made her smile a little brighter."

"You said you recently saw Thalian and Lanai? I would love to catch up with them sometime. Where are they?" Ethesprit looked hopeful.

"Well, we can't really go there right now since we're stuck here. Maybe if we can figure out how to fix things here, we can try to meet back up with my parents." Zukto offered.

"Yes, I suppose that is fair."

"By the way, what happened earlier anyway? You said something, and the group fell into complete chaos." Ethesprit muttered quietly to Zukto.

"Nari, my partner, would not stop teasing me about something so I simply returned the favor."

"Your partner?"

"Ah, sorry, probably not the way you're thinking. She is like my combat partner. Our abilities are a bit similar."

"I would be interested in seeing what you guys are capable of, actually."

"I hope it never has to come to that. We've been in some dangerous situations, and I don't want you to get caught up in any of that."

"Zukto… what exactly is going on out there? Is this… is all of this connected with your brother?" Ethesprit furrowed his brow. Zukto sighed deeply.

"Did you talk to Azera? Yeah, as far as I can tell… this is my brother's doing."

"But… how? How in the world… is anything like this even possible?"

"I wish I could deny it, trust me. But from what we've seen… turning a blind eye now will only result in more people suffering. And not just people here in Charcai… this problem is threatening so many different lands."

"What a huge burden to shoulder. Please, let me shoulder it with you. I can't sit idly by and watch you handle everything yourself."

"Well, I guess we should start small. Besides the insane weather around here, have you seen anything strange? Anything you couldn't explain properly? Anything out of place, or…?"

"I do believe I might have a lead for you, and we don't have to go very far to see it. Come on, tell everyone to follow me." Ethesprit hurried off, Zukto directing everyone to follow him.

It looked like they were approaching a sort of gathering spot for the town. There were grand arches partially buried under snow; beyond one of the arches, Zukto was sure he could see some kind of statue.

"So this is that 'Wise Old Man' you were referring to earlier?" Azera asked.

"Yeah, it is. I think something is wrong with it." Ethesprit explained as they got closer. Zukto, never having seen the statue before, had no way of knowing what could be wrong with the sculpture.

"... Wait a second… there is something very wrong here!" Ricando finally spoke up.

"What do you sense, Ricando?" Zukto asked.

"Zukto, there were supposed to be ancient relics here at the statue… but they are gone." Ricando explained in Hylian, not wanting Ethesprit to understand what they were talking about.

"O-oh, well… what was the purpose of these relics? And what were they like?" Zukto and the others all glanced at one another.

"The relics are tokens of some of Charcai's Gods. If we find them and return them here, we may be able to restore this land to normal."

"Which Gods were the tokens connected to?" Zukto pressed.

"Tolmtraccileon was represented here, of course. Then there ought to be one for Charcai, Samekh, and Agoroth."

"We know all of those except Agoroth. Who's that?"

"The God of the land, mountains, caverns… natural land formations."

"Okay, so… what are these tokens like? How will we know when we find one?"

"I'll know." Ricando responded matter-of-factly.

"I guess we know what we're doing when Zelda gets better: time to find these tokens." Zukto sighed.


End file.
